


Rebellious Spirits

by Lady_Sci_Fi



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-06-27 05:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 36,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15678858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Sci_Fi/pseuds/Lady_Sci_Fi
Summary: Life is good in the country of Gallifrey. Despite this, there is a rule that segregates the ruling and aristocratic Lords from the Human Commoners when it comes to romantic relationships. When journalist Sarah Jane Smith meets one of the princes, called the Doctor, they risk severe consequences.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This AU takes place on an Earth similar to modern day. The (Time) Lords keep their biological differences, except for the regeneration ability.

 Sarah Jane Smith nervously fiddled with her duffle bag as she was led to her hotel room for the weekend. She had managed to get this far, and hoped she would be able to keep up the ruse for the rest of the time at the gathering of international scientists. The security was more than she had been expecting (though she did remember hearing about a group of recently-disappeared scientists), and she hoped they wouldn’t look too closely at her.

 Sarah thanked her escort and unlocked the door to her room with the keycard. Once she was alone, she sat on the bed and pulled up the itinerary on her laptop. Despite arriving later than she had wanted, the cocktail party wasn’t due to start for five more minutes, which was just enough time for Sarah to make sure she looked her best and go over her notes one more time.

 “Anything for a good story. Maybe even several if I’m lucky,” Sarah remarked as she straightened her shirt collar under her sweater. Then she went back to her laptop again, and recited some of the details of her cover story, and the names of a few key people she had targeted to meet.

 Once satisfied with that, she grabbed a small notebook and pen, just large enough to fit in the back trousers of her pocket. A room full of scientists would hardly find that odd or suspicious.

 “Alright, mingling with scientists. Shouldn’t be too hard,” Sarah encouraged herself before heading for the door. She had to turn back for her room keycard, and the identification badge that would get her into all of the events. “Come on, keep your head on.”

 “Lavinia Smith,” Sarah stated when she reached the entrance of the specified ballroom.

 The usher looked through his list of expected guests, and nodded when he found that name.

 “ID?” the security guard prompted, who now on closer look, was distinctly military.

 Sarah handed it over, and mentally crossed her fingers.

 “Lavinia Smith?” the military man asked.

 “Yes, of course,” Sarah answered in the most confident tone she could.

 The soldier glanced over at the list. “What field of study did you list on your registration?”

 “Are we really playing twenty questions to get in to the party?” Sarah asked.

 “Security reasons. We don’t want just anyone walking in, you know.”

 “Right, of course. I understand. Virology.”

 The soldier still looked doubtful, and his eyes flickered between the ID card and Sarah’s face.

 “Don’t tell me you need more proof of identity that I didn’t know to bring,” Sarah sighed.

 “No, not that.”

 “I am Lavinia Smith. I’m sure you can look me up in the hotel system for further proof?”

 “We certainly could, Ma-“

 Sarah didn’t see the man stride over from the side of her view until he said, “What seems to be the…ah!” She barely noticed the sly way he got a look a her identity card, still in the military man’s hand, due to being more occupied with his face. One she recognized, a few years older than her, with his bright blue eyes and brown curly hair. But, it couldn’t be, could it really?

 “Lavinia Smith! I thought it was you.” The man smiled as he greeted.

 “Doctor, you can go straight in,” the officer said.

 Sarah paled slightly at the confirmation of his identity.

 “No, no,” the Doctor waved his hand airily. “No special treatment for me.” He handed over his ID to the officer. He said to the usher, “I’m sorry, I won’t be on your list. I thought I’d just pop by. I hope that’s no trouble?”

 “Of-of course not,” the usher stammered. “We’re honoured.”

 “No need to feel honoured over me,” the Doctor chuckled.

 “Enjoy your evening,” the soldier handed them back their ID cards.

 “I’m sure we will,” the Doctor nodded, and took Sarah’s arm. As they walked inside, he said, “I’ve been hoping to meet you here. Your work fascinates me. The study of viruses are important to keeping a healthy population and all.”

 Sarah was still too much in shock that she was walking arm-in-arm with one of the Prydonian princes to respond.

 Once they were properly inside, the volume of the Doctor’s voice dropped as he said, “I’m particularly interested in your work. I loved your paper… what was it… ah yes, the one on the teleological response of the virus. A most impressive piece of work.”

 “Thank you.”

 “Particularly when I realize you must have written it when you were five years old.”

 Sarah glanced around to make sure no one else at the party was close enough to have overheard that. “Ah… yes, um…” She felt her stomach flip as this was all surely about to unravel. It had seemed so simple on paper. She certainly hadn’t accounted for the possibility of the third in line to the crown of Gallifrey crashing the party and seeing through her ruse. “That is rather difficult to explain, isn't it.”

 “But you're going to try, aren't you.”  

 There wasn’t exactly any reasonable way out of this situation, except maybe if she could persuade him… He was known to not particularly care for rules and expectations. “Well, my Aunt Lavinia is in America on a lecture tour, you see.” The Doctor looked quite interested in her explanation. “She had an invitation to attend. I took her place.”

 “That simple, then? Why?”

 There was something about him that put Sarah at ease enough to tell him her real purpose here. “Well, I thought all this might give me a good story. I'm a journalist. Sarah Jane Smith.” She extended her hand.

 The Doctor shook it. “I’m the Doctor.”

 “Yes, I… I know.”

 “Ah, right.” The Doctor’s face slightly fell at the unsaid reason she would know. “I do dislike being known for that reason.” He leaned in closer to say, “You do realize this could be a dangerous place to be in? With that lot of missing scientists, perhaps someone might see this as an opportunity to get a few more. A lot of eggs in the basket.”

 Sarah let out a nervous breath. “Well, I can’t help that. I’m here now, and with the extra security, it would be suspicious if Lavinia were to suddenly leave the event. Besides, we’ve got these soldiers looking after us.”

 “Indeed.”

 “Are you going to give me away, Doctor?”

 The Doctor smiled widely. “I don’t think I will.”

 Sarah’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”

 “I did just get you in and assured the soldier out there you belong here.”

 Sarah couldn’t help but to ask, “Yes, and why did you?”

 The Doctor only tapped his nose in answer. “All I ask in return is that we share a drink later on, after you’ve done some journalism work?”

 “And what if I refuse?” Sarah challenged.

 The man shrugged. “I won’t turn you in. I won’t jeopardize you in any way. The drink is only a request, no strings attached.”

 Sarah wondered what possible interest the prince could have in her, especially now that he knew her identity and real purpose here. It couldn’t be that she would be lucky enough that he would consent to giving her an interview. Still, she didn’t ask, and replied to his request with, “We’ll see. Thank you.”

 The Doctor slightly bowed his head in response. Then they were approached by a man with thick glasses and a bowtie. The man greeted, “Rubeish.”

 “I beg your pardon?” the Doctor asked.

 “Joseph Rubeish.”

 “Oh, I see. How do you do?”

 “It's disgraceful, of course. Utterly disgraceful. All the military idiots stomping about… And your name?”

 Sarah couldn’t help but smile at the wink the Doctor gave her as she quietly slipped away from them. She spotted one of the scientists she had targeted for a chat near the food tables, and went over to start working.

 Focusing on her work didn’t at all quiet her mind’s questioning of the Doctor’s presence here, at an event for the Commoner scientists. While the Lords were of course allowed to attend Commoner events, they only did so occasionally, preferring their own similar events. When they did, they received special treatment. And what had been the reason for reminding her about those missing scientists and the possible danger of her being here?

 She continued to keep an eye on him while informally interviewing people. While some didn’t recognize him, he seemed to easily break through any anxiety the ones who did had with talking to him.  

 There was no doubt that she was going to accept that drink with him.


	2. Chapter 2

 Sarah caught the Doctor’s eye, and nodded to him, indicating she was ready for that drink, now that she had interviewed the scientists on her list. He excused himself from his conversation with a group of people, and they met at the drinks table, making it look like a coincidence. Sarah got a glass of wine, and the Doctor one of fruit punch.

 Less of a coincidence was when the Doctor tilted his head towards the balcony, and they didn’t verbally greet each other until they were outside and away from anyone else.

 “Finding good stories?” the Doctor asked.

 “Yes, a few. Some interesting things being worked on. Certainly enough to make this worth it.” Sarah cleared her throat. “I didn’t thank you for the help earlier.”

 “No problem.” The Doctor leaned forward on the stone railing and looked out over the view of the evening countryside. He took a sip of his drink. “You’re right, in that there are some fascinating things being worked on right now.” He smiled. “I couldn’t stay away from such a gathering of minds.”

 “That all you here for, then? Your own curiousity?” Sarah tried not to make the question sound challenging.

 The Doctor didn’t seem to take offense at the question. “I do many things for my own curiousity. This included.”

 “I’ll just have to accept that answer, won’t I?”

 The Doctor shrugged. “That’s up to you.” He took a longer sip from his glass, then turned to face her, leaning back against the stone. “Now, I have a question for you.”

 “I suppose that’s only fair,” Sarah replied, looking up to meet his gaze. Somehow, he seemed even taller in person than in photos she had seen of him.

 The man cocked his head to the side slightly. “What do you know about me?”

 That wasn’t the question Sarah had been expecting. “Uh… Not much, really, I think. I mean, I’ve heard some things about you, but…” She let out a little nervous laugh. “Can’t believe everything you read, right?”

 “Very true. You still haven’t answered my question, though.”

 “Oh, right. Well, I know you’re one of the Prydonian princes of Gallifrey, the third in line to the crown.”

 “Unfortunate, that,” the Doctor’s smile faltered. “What else?”

 “Well, you’re considered to be the wild prince, since you don’t really care for rules or expectations. Not much else, I think.”

 “That’s a more agreeable reputation,” the Doctor nodded. His smile widened again.

 It was Sarah’s turn to tilt her head at him. “You like that, then?”

 The Doctor waved his hand airily as he took another sip of his drink. “If I must be a prince, then I must. That doesn’t mean I have to stick to their idea of what that means.”

 “You really don’t like being a prince?” This was certainly new information about him.

 “Let’s just say it’s not at all what I would have chosen for myself.” The man sighed. “Shall we talk about something else?”

 “If you want,” Sarah agreed, even though she wanted to keep going along that line of conversation. Then she watched as the Doctor set his glass down on the stone balcony to pull out a device, like a small transparent dome, from his pocket. “What’s that?”

 The Doctor pressed a few buttons on it, then slipped it back in his pocket.

 “What is that?” Sarah repeated when he didn’t look like he was going to answer her.

 “Oh, sorry for getting distracted. Just checking something. It’s my alarm clock.”

 “Oh Doctor, kindly don't try to trick me. Now what is it really?”

 “It's a rhondium sensor. It detects delta particles. At a preset spectrum density of fifteen ams, it oscillates this little cylinder there, which promotes a vacuum in there which wakes me up. I have a habit of forgetting to set my alarms before I go to sleep, and remembered to set it just now.”

 “Why do you want to be woken up when it detects delta particles?”

 The Doctor grinned, “Because I'm very fond of delta particles.”

 “Right…” Sarah couldn’t help the laugh. “Another one of your curiousities, then?”

 “In a way, yes.”

 “Hm…” Sarah took a long sip of her drink. “Why did you remind me about the missing scientists earlier?”

 “I thought that was obvious. A big gathering of them, and you pretending to be one.”

 “Oh, worried about me?” Sarah teased.

 “I’d hate for anything to happen, is all. A warning of caution.”

 “I do appreciate it. So, are you planning on staying the full five days?”

 “Why wouldn’t I? I’m already here, and oh so very interested in everyone’s work.”

 Sarah smiled softly. “Then I expect we’ll see each other around.”

 “That would be delightful.” They finished their drinks, and the Doctor thanked her for agreeing to it.

 “See you around,” Sarah replied. She let him go back inside first, and took a moment to look out at the landscape before going back inside to mingle a little longer. She certainly looked forward to chatting with the charming and enigmatic prince again.

 ********

 Sarah didn’t get to talk with the Doctor the next day, though they did smile when they did see each other at a couple of the scheduled scientific talks. She wasn’t worried, since there were still another four days to catch him.

 It was nighttime, and she was in her room, typing her notes from the day into her laptap. For a brief moment, she considered inviting the Doctor over to help her understand some of the concepts that she didn’t have full enough grasp of. He certainly gave off the impression of knowing a lot about a variety of scientific fields. But she decided that might be too forward. Maybe after they had another chat would be more appropriate for that request.

 Sarah felt an odd tingling sensation in the air, and heard a quiet thrumming noise. She looked up from her computer screen, glanced around for a moment, and didn’t see anything. She was about to dismiss it as the ventilation system or something, but then the air seemed to shimmer in the corner next to the window.

 “Okay…” Sarah mumbled to herself. “Maybe I have been working too hard. But not enough to be hallucinating or… whatever this is.”

 Her eyes widened as the shimmer started to form into a translucent silvery humanoid-shaped image. Without hesitation, she rushed out of the room and practically slammed the door shut behind her.

 Sarah had only stood staring at the door for a few seconds, wondering what she should do, when hurried footsteps and a tinny beeping sound stopped next to her. “There’s something in there,” she stated, not looking to see who it was.

 “Yes, I tracked the delta particle signal. Are you alright?”

 Sarah looked to the man, and was only half-surprised that it was the Doctor. In his hands was the ‘alarm clock’ he had fiddled with on the balcony.

 “I-I think so. It looked like… a knight in armour, maybe? You know, like medieval?”

 “Let me in?” the Doctor requested.

 “Left my key in there. I just ran out.”

 “No matter.” The Doctor put the delta detector into his pocket and pulled out another device, cylindrical with something extra at the top. He aimed it at the lock, and it emitted a high-pitched sound. It only took a couple of seconds for the lock to click and he pushed the door open.

 “What was that?”

 “Sonic screwdriver.”

 Sarah grabbed the Doctor’s arm as he made to go inside. “What are you doing?”

 “Checking it out,” the prince replied, like it was the most obvious thing. He pulled his arm from the woman’s grasp and went to the middle of the room.

 Sarah stayed outside, but held the door open, so that she could see and give him an easy escape if needed. The Doctor made a visual sweep, then pulled out the detector again, and made a humming sound at its silence.

 “It’s all clear,” he announced. “You can come in.”

 Sarah hesitantly did so, and let the door slowly close behind her.

 “Where was this… knight figure?”

 Sarah pointed to the now empty corner. “It was shimmering and translucent. Like a ghost.”

 “I very much doubt it was a ghost.”

 “I’m not saying it was, it’s just… what it looked like.”

 “Anything else?”

 “There was a weird tingling and sound for a bit before it appeared.”

 “Very interesting. Well, it’s gone now.”

 “What if it comes back?” At the lack of an answer, Sarah took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. Then she asked, “Shouldn’t we tell the military chaps out there what happened?”

 “Yes, soon enough,” the Doctor said distractedly, now looking to the dome-shaped device again.

 “This is about those missing scientists, isn’t it?” Sarah guessed.

 The Doctor’s device started beeping. “It’s trying again.”

 “Here?” Sarah’s eyes instantly went back to that corner.

 “No… different room.” With that, he made for the door.

 Not wanting to be left behind by herself, and out of wanting to know what was going on, Sarah went after him, only pausing to grab her phone and room key from next to her laptop.

 She followed him, almost struggling to keep up with him as he rushed up a flight of stairs and through the corridors to the source of the signal. She dismissed the thought of absurdity at running around after a prince in her pyjamas to chase after a ghost.

 The Doctor practically skid to a stop in front of one door, and knocked.

 “Yes?” came a sleepy voice from inside. A second later there was a shout and a crash.

 The Doctor opened the door with his sonic screwdriver, and rushed inside only to find the room empty, with signs of a very brief struggle. He made a noise of frustration. “Barely too late.”

 Sarah recognized the glasses on the bedside table. “Rubeish? He’s gone!”

 “Yes… probably asleep and didn’t notice the signs before I knocked.”

 Sarah shivered. “I’m glad I decided to work before going to bed.”

 The Doctor started fiddling with the delta particle detector, which had again gone silent. “Come on, give me something to go on,” he encouraged it. When it didn’t start working again, he said, “Come on, Sarah. We can’t do anything here.”

 “What’s going on?” Sarah asked as she followed him.

 “Some sort of matter transmission, I would think.”

 “We really should tell one of those soldiers about this,” Sarah reminded.

 “I will, but they can’t do anything right now, either. No point in creating a panic.”

 “Something just made Rubeish disappear, and you don’t think we should tell them right now?”

 “It almost got ‘Lavinia,’ too. What good would a lot of soldiers marching around do?”

 Sarah sighed, but didn’t argue that point. The Doctor opened the door to his room, and gestured that she follow him inside. “Let’s see if I can’t strengthen this…” he muttered as he went over to a bag of tools.

 Sarah did feel surprised by the accommodations, which were the same as hers. The prince really had insisted on not getting special treatment by asking for a huge suite or anything. She sat on the edge of the bed, and watched him as he worked. She didn’t ask why he was doing this, or say that he should leave it to the professionals. He looked too focused on what he was doing to respond to her, anyway.

 “Ah, there we are!” the Doctor exclaimed as the detector began working again. “Now… Sarah, your phone.”

 “What? Why?”

 The Doctor held out his hand, and Sarah complied. He started typing into it. “If there are any more odd happenings, I want you to tell me.” He handed it back.

 Sarah looked at what the Doctor had typed in. His phone number was now in her contacts under his name. “Of course.”

 The Doctor gathered up a few of his things into a backpack. “If you feel uncomfortable staying in your room, you’re welcome to stay in mine. I’m not a registered scientific guest, so it shouldn’t care.” He handed her his room key. “I doubt I’ll need it for a few days.”

 “What? Where are you going?”

 “To follow the trail while it’s still warm.”

 “You can’t seriously… You are serious. Look, why not give that detector to the military and let them have a go?”

 The Doctor gave a toothy grin. “The Brigadier and his men are capable and mean well, but sometimes a different approach is needed. Don’t worry, I’ll tell him on the way out.”

 “If you weren’t going to tell them, I was.”

 “Anything odd at all, tell me. It could help.”

 “Right, um… Good luck?” Sarah wasn’t sure what else to say.

 “Good luck to you, too,” the Doctor said, flashing an assuring smile. Then he slipped out the door and was gone.

 “Absolutely mad,” Sarah muttered about the entire situation. After a moment of processing it all, she decided to take his offer, and left to get her things.


	3. Chapter 3

 It was lunchtime on the last day of the convention. Sarah opened the door to her room to type up her notes and eat before the next talk she planned to attend. She checked her phone, to see if she had missed any messages from the Doctor. She had sent him one every day saying all was well, though he hadn’t responded. She had considered going to the Brigadier in charge of the UNIT soldiers here to ask him if he’d heard from the Doctor, but had decided not to, since it might open up lines of questioning about herself that she didn’t want to have to answer.

 Sarah sighed at the lack of a message. Then she raised her head and stopped in her tracks. There, curled up asleep in the bed on top of the blanket, was the subject of her thoughts. She didn’t question how he had gotten in, with him having given her his key, remembering that sonic device.

 Sarah quietly closed the door and padded over to the desk to set down her things. She considered waking the Doctor, but opened her laptop and went to work instead. She glanced back at him, noticing how… adorable he looked like this, and was he snuggling a ridiculously long multi-coloured scarf looped around his neck?

 She shook her head, and pulled the sandwich and soda from the lunch bag. Then she had the inclination to position herself so she could keep an eye on him while she ate and worked.

 “Figures,” Sarah muttered to herself. “Nothing, then just shows up in my room.” His room, technically, she knew. He had even left some of his things when he had dashed off a few days ago, including most of his clothes. It seemed he had only taken the essentials, wherever he had gone.

 Sarah had gotten mostly through her notes and halfway through her sandwich when she noticed the Doctor stirring. She put her laptop on the desk and pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged on the chair.

 The Doctor awoke a few seconds later. He started to sit up and stretch, but froze when he saw Sarah sitting there.

 “Afternoon,” Sarah greeted.

 “How long have you been there?”

 “Oh… less than half an hour.”

 The Doctor shot the rest of the way upright, and crawled over to the foot of the bed. “Why didn’t you wake me? I have so much to tell you!”

 “I… I assumed you needed the sleep. You looked pretty comfortable and-“

 “Never mind that,” the Doctor waved his hand dismissively.

 “You could’ve sent me a message back, you know,” Sarah pointed out. “I was getting worried and-“

 “You said all was well, so-“

 “That’s not the point.” Then Sarah broke down into a fit of giggles at the situation.

 “What?”

 “Nothing, just… You said you wanted to tell me something?”

 “Oh yes, you were the first person I wanted to tell. I did have to inform the Brigadier first, but you were my first choice.”

 Sarah was certainly surprised at that. What made her so special that she was the first he wanted to tell everything to? “I feel honoured?”  

 “Give you the first and exclusive scoop, you might say. Not one of the stories you came to cover, but-“

 “I’m all ears.”

 “As long as you keep your source anonymous?”

 “Of course.” It did not at all escape Sarah’s notice how excited the man was to tell her what had happened, with his grin and wide eyes. He was practically bouncing on the bed.

 “All the scientists have been found and returned. They were in England.”

 “England? What were they doing there?”

 “Not by choice. Like with our Rubeish, they had all been taken against their will by the same ‘ghost’ we chased. He’s back as well, by the way, but he’s going to take a rest until the closing party. I’ll sure he’ll be up for an interview by then, if you want some quotes from him.”

 “That’s great to hear. Who kidnapped them? What for? Why England?”

 The Doctor opened his mouth to continue, then spotted the food on the desk. “Do you mind if I eat that? I’m famished.”

 “Uh… be my guest.” Sarah handed him the half-finished sandwich.

 The Doctor properly sat on the edge of the bed and took a bite. When he swallowed, he answered, “An alien- a Sontaran crashed in England, who needed the scientists to help him repair his ship. In exchange for the help from the locals, he was developing weapons for them. If he had succeeded, it would’ve been catastrophic.”

 “I know a new alien weapon being introduced would be bad, but catastrophic?”

 “Oh, I forgot to mention. He crashed in the… 1300’s, I think it was.”

 “Wait…” Sarah’s brow furrowed in confusion. “He’s been there for seven-hundred years?”

 “No, no, he was kidnapping our esteemed scientists through time.”

 Sarah’s eyes widened, and it took her a moment to respond, “I don’t how much of this the public would believe. I don’t even know how much of this I’m going to believe.” Aliens were one thing, with a population of the Doctor’s own people having arrived on Earth several centuries ago and settling in the area which eventually became the country of Gallifrey. Time-travel was another thing completely. At the man’s pouty dejected expression, she gave an encouraging smile. “Go ahead. I’m sure it’s quite the story.”

 The Doctor’s wide grin reappeared, and he took another bite of the sandwich before he continued.

 As Sarah listened to his story, she felt an unexplained desire to have been with him, trying to stop this Linx from using kidnapped labour to repair his ship and corrupting the history of Earth with giving advanced weaponry to a greedy baron in the Middle Ages. Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part, but she wondered if he had wanted her with him, especially with him saying that she was the first person he had wanted to tell.

 Sarah missed the talk she had planned to attend, but didn’t care one bit. Not when there was a prince eagerly telling her every detail of this adventure.

 ********

 Sarah determined she couldn’t publish everything that the Doctor had told her, simply out of the public being unable to believe those certain details, and the rest of the details she chose to omit not being appropriate for a news story. Most of the facts would stay intact in her story, though, and would be given extra credibility from the quotes she had gotten from Rubeish. She’d work on it on the way back home tonight, and stay up all night if she needed to to finish it by tomorrow morning. The scientific stories she had come for would all be put out gradually after that.

 Sarah and the Doctor were once again in their room, after the closing party, packing their things to leave. A strange quiet fell over them, until they both said in unison, “It was nice meeting you.”

 They laughed at that, and Sarah added, “Well, maybe interesting is a better word, from my perspective.”

 “Was it still a nice sort of interesting?” the Doctor asked.

 “I suppose so. I don’t know about the bit where I was chasing after an alien time-kidnapper in my pyjamas with you, but otherwise…”

 “Well, it was most certainly a nice interesting meeting you, from my perspective.”

 Sarah could feel a little blush rising in her face. “Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “So, do you work for UNIT, then?”

 “With them, sometimes. When I feel like it. Helps to keep me occupied.”

 “I see.” Sarah checked the time. “Well, I’ve got to get going, or I’ll miss the train.”

 “I’ll be heading back with UNIT. I haven’t yet convinced the Brigadier that I shouldn’t have to fill out reports and paperwork when I help.”

 “He keeps you in check, then?” Sarah teased.

 “I like to give him the impression that he does,” the Doctor retorted. Sarah shook her head, not believing the claim. “I look forward to reading your article.”

 “Thanks for that, by the way. You didn’t have to.” In addition to telling her what had happened, he had instructed the formerly-missing scientists not to tell anyone until her story was published.

 “No, but I wanted to.”

 Sarah extended her hand for a handshake, but ended up being pulled into a brief hug instead. It felt nice, and if she was being honest with herself, would’ve liked it to have lasted longer. Sarah waved goodbye to him as she left the room.

 Once on the bus to the train station, Sarah pulled out her phone. She stared at her unanswered messages to the Doctor over the past few days, wondering if she should delete his contact information. It wouldn’t do for a Commoner such as herself to have the number of one of the Prydonian princes without very good reason.

 She smiled to herself, and decided to keep it. It was a long shot, but perhaps doing so would tempt fate into seeing him again. If nothing else, it was a reminder of meeting the eccentric and charming prince, and being a small part in his bigger adventure.  


	4. Chapter 4

 When Sarah didn’t receive any messages or calls from the Doctor after over a week since the science convention, she sadly assumed that that was the end of their interactions. Even though the prince had said he had been looking forward to reading her article, which had been very widely read and used as the basis for other articles covering the subject when it was published, he hadn’t sent any message about that, either.

 Sarah supposed it was best to leave their encounters with each other at that. For her to wish for more with him wasn’t realistic. Part of her even wondered if he would even remember her after a while. After all, she was just a Commoner who had been a barely-relevant part of a life-saving event he had done by himself. This wasn’t even mentioning the class separation issue, despite his general disregard for rules and his apparent dismissal of that one in particular.

 Knowing all this didn’t stop Sarah from looking at the unanswered messages to the Doctor on her phone every so often, hoping he would simply say hello back or something. She had been tempted to send him another message, but decided it wouldn’t be good for her to initiate the contact with him. She shouldn’t be seen as bothering a Lord. Besides, he was a prince who helped a global paranormal military organization protect Earth. He was a busy man.

 Sarah had just come home from work and set the kettle on for tea when she heard something small strike a window at the front of the small house. She didn’t think anything of it, until it happened again about thirty seconds later.

 Figuring it was some rowdy children, Sarah went to the window and peered through the curtains to look out. When she didn’t see anyone, she turned away to go back to making the kitchen. As soon as she made it back to the kitchen, the sound happened again.

 Now annoyed, Sarah went straight to the front door to tell whoever it was to stop hitting her window. She was about to shout at the person, when she noticed they were tall and wearing a grey jacket with the hood over their head. She quickly recognized what was visible of the profile of the person’s face, and simply stood there, mouth half-open in disbelief. The long scarf trailing around the person’s feet only confirmed it. This certainly was not how she had imagined them meeting again.

 The man turned his head to the door, and beamed at Sarah. “Ah, there you are.”

 That shook Sarah from her shock. “I have a door,” she hissed. “You could knock, like a normal person, instead of chucking rocks at my window.”

 The Doctor’s smile wavered as he came over to her. “I didn’t know if you lived with someone else, and thought that would be more discreet.”

 Sarah couldn’t stay annoyed at him, and shook her head in slight amusement. “For future, I live by myself. You can use the door.” She pointed out, “I also have a phone, which you have my number for, unless you deleted it?”

 The Doctor shrugged, and his smile returned in full-force. “I wanted to surprise you. I can’t do that if I tell you I’m coming before you see me.”

 Sarah sighed. “Fair point. Do you want to come in?”

 “If you’ll have me?”

 “Well, you did come to see me, so I suppose I should,” Sarah replied with a little grin. She stepped aside to let the man inside. When she shut the door, the Doctor pulled off the hood and shook out his hair to its wild style. “Does that actually work?” Sarah inquired.

 “Does what work?”

 “Going out dressed plainly with only a hood to disguise yourself.”

 “Oh, you’d be surprised how well it does. Although there is a little more to it than that.”

 “I’m sure.” Sarah became nervous, and offered, “I’ve just put the kettle on for tea, if you want any?”

 “Yes, please,” the Doctor responded airily, looking at Sarah’s collection of books and knick-knacks on the bookshelf.

 Sarah stood in the middle of the room, watching him. She bit her thumbnail as she thought of what to say next. She blurted out, “How did you know where I live?”

 “You had told me which news agency you work for. Your article on the missing scientists was wonderful, by the way.”

 “Thank you, though I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near that story without your help.” Sarah tilted her head slightly as she worked out the time between her getting home and him attracting her attention at the window. “You didn’t follow me from work, did you?”

 The Doctor awkwardly cleared his throat as he turned to face her. “Not… quite…”

 “So you did. That could be considered stalking, you know.” Sarah admonished herself for somehow not realizing he had been following her. Perhaps his hood trick did work as well as he claimed.

 “I could’ve found your address through other means, but they weren’t as direct. And I’ve been told that it’s considered… impolite to break into systems to get personal information, except in extreme circumstances.”

 Sarah couldn’t help the chuckle. “Alright, I won’t report you. This time.”

 “I’d be very thankful.”

 The kettle whistled, and Sarah told the Doctor to have a seat while she got their tea. She added the amount of milk and sugar to her mug, and brought those two things out so he could add whatever he wanted to his.

 “Nice little place you have here,” the Doctor complimented when Sarah came back from the kitchen with the tray in her hands.

 “Thanks. I’m sure it can’t beat the palace, but I think its fine for one person with the occasional guest over.”

 The Doctor responded with a noncommittal hum. He graciously bowed his head as the woman set the tray down on the coffee table.

 “What made you want to visit me, then?” Sarah asked. She only raised her brow slightly at the amount of sugar the Doctor scooped into his mug.

 While the Doctor stirred in the milk and sugar, he reached into his jacket pocket and took out a white paper bag. “Jelly baby?”

 “Bit of a sweet tooth?” Sarah teased as she reached into the bag and took a couple.

 “I suppose you could say that.” The prince took a long sip from his mug. “Why wouldn’t I want to visit you? I wish I had been able to spend more time with you at the convention.”

 “So do I,” Sarah quietly agreed.

 “You’re certainly someone I’d like to know better. Does there need to be any specific reason?”

 “Not really.”

 “Good.” The Doctor grinned widely.

 “I just… didn’t think we really would meet again. And then you show up at my house unannounced, so I thought there might be a specific reason.” Sarah quickly changed the topic with, “So, how many reports did the Brigadier make you fill out?”

 The Doctor blew out a breath. “Considering the highly unusual circumstances that I went through without his support… many.”

 Sarah laughed behind her mug. “I wasn’t introduced to him or anything at the convention. Was he the one with the dark hair and mustache? Stern expression?”

 “That’s an apt description.”

 “And you work for him.” At the slight glare, Sarah corrected, “With him, I mean. Interesting.”

 “Yes, well, sometimes interesting things do go on at UNIT.”

 “Bound to, with what they do.”

 “Exactly. Something interesting that occupies my time and helps the world through threats most people don’t even know exist.”

 “I’m surprised you’re even allowed to do that, with being a prince and all.”

 “The king, other high-ranking Lords, and I have reached an… understanding.”

 “An understanding where they let you do whatever you want?”

 The Doctor shrugged. “Something like that. It’s best for all parties, really.”

 Now that sounded like a fascinating concept. At the least, she got the impression that he certainly wasn’t the favorite prince of the three. But Sarah knew she wasn’t going to get any more than that on it. Still, she did clarify, “From what I understand, you’re not the king’s biological son, right? None of you princes are?”

 The Doctor let out a displeased sigh at the continued topic, but he answered, “Correct.” Then he took another long sip of tea. “Three children are chosen by the current King or Queen to be princes or princesses before they’re teens.”

 “Chosen based on what?”

 “On how we do at the academy in various subjects.” The Doctor then rapidly changed the topic. “What were your dinner plans?”

 Sarah was taken aback by the question. He wanted to stay for dinner? “Uh… I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. Maybe order some take-out?”

 “I could cook,” the prince offered.

 “You can cook?”

 “Why shouldn’t I be able to?” the Doctor challenged.

 “No reason, I guess.” Sarah pushed out any images in her mind of the prince only accepting the most gourmet meals made by the best chefs in the country instead of cooking anything for himself. That image didn’t fit the man she now knew, anyway. She considered the option. “I don’t think I have enough to really cook with. I’ll have to go out for groceries soon.”

 “Hm… then take-out it is, unless you want to go out for dinner?”

 “I don’t think you’d want to run the risk of being recognized at a Commoner restaurant. You don’t have to pay for the take-out.”

 “There’s nothing inherently wrong about eating at one with good company, but I see your point. I insist on paying. It’s only fair.”

 “Alright, but since you’re paying, you can choose.” Sarah gestured to the kitchen. “There’s a bunch of places on the fridge to pick from.”

 The Doctor nodded, and got up to look at the options. Sarah could only stare after him, amazed at the direction this had gone so quickly. It was only dinner, she supposed, but it wasn’t dinner with just anyone. This was dinner at her house with a prince.

 “Any preferences?” the Doctor called out.

 “No. It’s completely up to you.”

 “Then… Chinese?”

 “Sounds good to me,” Sarah agreed. She appreciated that he still asked her for her approval.

 The Doctor brought the chosen menu and sat back down on the sofa so they could pick their dishes.

 After Sarah called the order in, the Doctor commented, “I wonder if anyone can match the chicken dumplings I had in China. Was it Beijing, or Shanghai?”

 “You’ve been to China?”

 “I’ve been to many places, China included.”

 “You like to travel, then? Or was it for royal duties?”

 “Nearly always my choice. The king learned not to send me on royal duties trips very quickly. ”

 “That’s amazing! What other places have you been to?”

 Sarah intently listened, and the Doctor just as eagerly told her the places he had been in his travels. Their conversation only stopped long enough for Sarah to answer the door and get their food, using cash from the prince’s wallet.

 The Doctor changed the topic to Sarah, and while Sarah said there wasn’t anything exciting going on in her life compared to his, he wanted to know anyway.

 It was very dark outside by the time they finished dinner and sharing some ice cream Sarah had, and let the conversation die down.

 “I do have work tomorrow,” Sarah stated, suddenly wishing she didn’t. She wanted him to stay longer.

 “Then I mustn’t keep you up late,” the Doctor nodded.

 “I can’t say I was up all night with a prince in my house if I’m late tomorrow,” Sarah joked. “No one would believe me.”

 “More improbable things have happened,” the Doctor stated with a toothy grin.

 “I know, but no one would still believe me.”

 “I suppose not. Thank you for the wonderful evening.”

 “You paid for the food,” Sarah pointed out.

 “I didn’t pay for the company,” the Doctor sincerely replied. He stood and stretched his legs.

 “It’s not too late for you to get home? Because…” Sarah had to stop herself from saying, “because you could stay here the night if you needed.” Would it be better for her to offer him the bed? It would be appropriate, with him being royalty. But she got the feeling he would insist on taking the sofa. Really, it wouldn’t even be appropriate for him to stay in a Commoner’s house except under certain extreme circumstances, and…

 “Because?” the Doctor prompted.

 “Never mind. You’ll be fine getting home?”

 “Of course. Don’t worry about me, Sarah.”

 “I think after you pulled that stunt of going back in time to fight an alien in medieval England with barely a by-your-leave, I have the right to be worried about you,” Sarah teased.

 “I’ll see you again,” the Doctor assured.

 “I look forward to it.” Sarah’s smile matched the man’s as she rose to see him out the door.

 The Doctor pulled the hood over his head, and gave her one last smile before he turned and walked down the street.

 Sarah watched him until he disappeared into the darkness, a pleasant fluttery feeling rising in her chest.


	5. Chapter 5

 For a few weeks, the Doctor had been a little better at keeping in touch. But currently, it was now nearly two weeks without any word from him. She tried not to worry, knowing that if something very terrible had happened to him, it would be news. Because of that alone, she was sure he hadn’t died or been kidnapped by an unfriendly nation or anything like that. No, he was probably deeply entrenched in a long mission for UNIT.

 Sarah turned the corner onto her street, finishing her Saturday morning jog. She looked down as she walked to turn off the music and take off her earphones. When she lifted her head, she noticed a familiar form sitting on her doorstep.

 “You need to stop doing this to me,” Sarah muttered to herself as she hurried to the man. She was grateful that it was too early in the morning for any neighbors to be out and about.  

 The Doctor was sitting, hunched over so no one would easily notice or recognize him. He wore a similar hooded jacket as before. At Sarah’s approaching footsteps, he straightened and beamed at her. “Hello, Sarah!”

 Sarah’s eyes widened now that she saw what the prince was wearing under the jacket- only a white gown that went down to his knees and socks. “Where are your trou… Did you just escape from a hospital?”

 “UNIT sickbay,” the Doctor shrugged as he stood.

 “You have got to be kidding me.” Sarah unlocked the front door and gestured he go inside first. She closed the door and sighed, shaking her head in slight amusement. “It is good to see you.”

 “I had hoped you would think so.”

 “Do I want to know why you decided to show up at my house in a hospital gown and no trousers?”

 “I wanted to see you,” the Doctor responded as though it was extremely obvious.

 Sarah felt a warm blossom in her chest that he had escaped to see her. Still, she asked, “Was it so urgent that you couldn’t even find your clothes first?”

 “I couldn’t hang around HQ to find my things. That would’ve increased my chances of being caught during my escape.”

 “I’m sure you were in the sickbay for good reason. And I’m sure they’ve noticed you’re gone by now.”

 The Doctor waved his hand dismissively. “The Brigadier is used to me going off on my own. He knows I’ll come back eventually, especially since they are in the middle of a situation I know he’ll want my help for.”

 “That’s… good?” Now Sarah noticed that the Doctor’s skin was a little paler than last she had seen him. Not quite enough to look sickly, but enough to know something definitely had happened to him. “So why’d they put you in sickbay?”

 “Nothing to worry about.” The Doctor went over to sit on the sofa, and Sarah noticed his slightly unsteady steps. She was also relieved to see the outline of underpants under the thin gown.

 “Nothing to worry about?” Sarah echoed.

 “Just a spot of radiation poisoning.” The Doctor grinned. “May I have something to drink?”

 “A spot of radiation poisoning? What does that mean?”

 “You don’t need to worry about it. I’m fine now. Why the Brigadier and that Doctor Sullivan insisted I stay in sickbay when there’s something else I could be doing is beyond me. ‘Not fit,’ am I?” the Doctor shot up to his feet and started running in place. “Do I look not fit to you?”

 Sarah couldn’t help the laugh. “You are absolutely ridiculous. I have half a mind to call up UNIT and tell them where you are.”

 “Only half a mind? Good.” The Doctor stopped and sighed. “I had to get out of that dreadful place, and realized I haven’t seen you for a while.” He heavily sat down, slightly out of breath.

 “Go back to the radiation poisoning. What happened?”

 “Not the most pleasant tale, but the short version is that I was stuck in a cave of radioactive metals and materials for several days.”

 No wonder she hadn’t heard from him for two weeks. Sarah resisted the urge to fuss over him to make sure he wasn’t completely lying about his condition. “I assume this was UNIT business?”

 The Doctor nodded. “But I assure you I am fine now. We Lords are made of tougher stuff than Humans.”

 “Oh, thanks for that.” Sarah wasn’t going to mention that he looked like he could use at least another day of bedrest.

 “That’s not a personal judgment.”

 “Right…” Sarah changed the topic. “Water, coffee, tea?”

 “Whatever you make for yourself is fine. Or I could make whatever you wanted?”

 Sarah shook her head. “No, I can do it. Just… sit there.” She went to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. She had a half-dressed Lord prince in her living room on a Saturday morning, one who really should be in the hospital recovering from radiation poisoning. She was curious how bad his condition had been, and how much he was acting healthy for her benefit.

 A few minutes later, she returned to the living room and set two mugs of coffee on the table.

 “Would you like another story?” the Doctor asked after taking a few sips. There was a slight tremble in his hands.

 “You mean the whole story of what happened with the radiation cave?”

 “No, not like that. I mean, would you like to experience another one first-hand with me?”

 “Like with the missing scientists?”  

 The Doctor nodded. “Of course, I can’t guarantee you’d be allowed to publish anything.”

 “And if I can, there will probably be heavy editing, like with that one.”

 “UNIT’s investigating something. Not quite sure what, but I have heard snippets while I was in bed recovering the past couple of days.”

 “Where you should still be,” Sarah teased.

 The Doctor ignored the remark, and asked, “Would you like to come to UNIT HQ with me?”

 Sarah’s brow rose at the idea. “Is that even allowed?”

 The Doctor shrugged. “Probably not. But you want to know something?”

 “What?”

 The Doctor leaned in to whisper with a mad grin, “I don’t care.”

 Sarah giggled. “They’re not just going to let you waltz in- or sneak back in- with me in tow.”

 “I’ll convince them.”

 “You’re mad,” Sarah replied with a smile.

 “Maybe. But does that mean you’re saying no?”

 Sarah shook her head. She glanced down at herself in her jogging clothes. “Let me get dressed first.”

 The Doctor beamed at her.

 Sarah quickly finished her coffee, then looked the prince over. “I don’t have any clothes for you, unfortunately.”

 “That’s alright. Maybe they haven’t missed me yet, and I’ll be able to say I was simply out walking around the grounds.”

 “And happened to find me out there?”

 “Something like that.”

 “Why not?” Sarah said to herself as she got up to get ready to go.

 When they got to UNIT HQ, all it took was the Doctor claiming Sarah as his assistant to the Brigadier, and she was in.

 ********

 Two days later, Sarah stood in the middle of the Doctor’s laboratory at UNIT HQ, staring at nothing as she processed everything that had happened.

 “Sarah?” the Doctor asked as he came in. “Sarah?”

 Sarah didn’t respond, not sure if she wanted to be left alone or if she wanted his company. She looked down at the rustle of a bag near her.

 “Would you like a jelly baby?” The Doctor took a breath before stating, “I had to do it, you know.”

 Sarah snapped out of her silent distraught mood. “Yes, yes, I know. It was insane and it did terrible things, but… but at first, it was so human.”

 “It was a wonderful creature, capable of great good, and great evil.” The Doctor paused and considered Sarah’s words. “Yes, I think you could say it was human.” He hummed. “I’ll be off shortly, away from HQ.”

 Sarah furrowed her brow. “You can’t just go right now.”

 “Why not? It’s a free world.”

 “I would think the Brigadier-“

 “The Brigadier wants me to write seventeen reports in triplicate. Well, I won’t do it. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!”

 Sarah winced as the Doctor’s hand came down on a brick sitting on the countertop.

 He brought his hand up to his mouth and sucked on the side. “Why should I?”

 “Doctor, you're being childish.”

 “Well of course I am. There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.” The Doctor turned away from her, and held out the white bag in her direction.

 Sarah didn’t need him to say anything as he silently offered the jelly babies again. She knew what he was asking, what he wanted her to accept. He didn’t want what had happened over the past couple days to scare her away, and neither did she. Perhaps it went against better judgment to want to stay involved in the madness of the Doctor and UNIT, but she realized she didn’t particularly care.

 Sarah reached into the bag, pulled out a candy, and popped it into her mouth. A light laughter escaped as she chewed. The Doctor’s mouth lifted into a wide smile as he turned to meet her eyes, and his laughter joined hers.

 


	6. Chapter 6

 Sarah checked her phone at the sound of a message. ‘Meet me at Rassilon Park as soon as you can.’ She smiled, and immediately started wondering what the Doctor wanted with her there. She hadn’t been back to UNIT in a couple of weeks, since the giant robot incident, but the prince had been to see her a few times.

 Sarah shook her head to focus back on the article she was writing, though she did glance at her watch. She only had almost another hour until she could leave work, which meant she didn’t have to wait long to see him again.

 The time ticked by, seemingly slower than normal. Finally, with barely a word goodbye as she left the office, she rushed out and made her way to the park.

 Sarah had barely approached the main entrance when a familiar low voice greeted her from behind. She spun around, and grinned at the Doctor. He wore his customary hooded jacket when out in public, and that long scarf.

 “Meeting in public now, are we?” Sarah replied conspiratorially.

 The Doctor grinned widely. “I have something to show you.” He practically bounced on the balls of his feet from excitement.

 “So, not just a walk in park between friends?” Sarah teased as the man took the lead.

 “It’s a bit of a walk in the park to get to it,” the Doctor replied.

 Sarah chuckled and skipped a little until she was walking side-by-side. The Doctor realized, and slowed his pace enough for her to comfortably stay there. Sarah inquired, “Anything new at UNIT?”

 “Nothing particularly interesting, but Sergeant Benton does hope we didn’t scare you away with the giant robot.”

 “How sweet of him, though shouldn’t he hope you all did? Since UNIT is supposed to be a secret secure thing and all. Having a journalist like me hanging around might be inviting trouble.”

 “They invited trouble before they even existed.”

 “They invited trouble when they agreed to have you as their scientific advisor.”

 The Doctor laughed. “Yes, that’s certainly fair to say.”

 “You know, this is a nice park, but what’s here that’s got you so excited?” Sarah asked several minutes into a hiking trail later when they turned down a smaller trail.

 “You’ll see,” the Doctor answered. Then he took her hand as he veered off the trail and down a hillside.

 Sarah barely had a chance to react to that before she spotted the blue amongst the trees and bushes. “What is that?” She was so focused on the object that she tripped over a tree root. The Doctor tightened his grip on her arm to prevent her from tumbling the rest of the way down.

 “’Police Public Call Box’?” Sarah read at the top of the thing. “What’s an old-fashioned police box doing out here?”

 “Appearances are deceptive, in this case,” the Doctor replied, letting go of Sarah’s hand when they reached the bottom of the hill.

 Sarah tried not to instantly miss the cooler hand around hers, liking how strangely natural it felt. “Well, what could be in there, except a policeman annoyed that he got the post in the middle of a forest?”

 “It’s not that kind of police box,” the Doctor stated, holding the pendant on his necklace in his hand.

 “What other kind of police box is there?” Sarah insisted as they circled around to the front of it.

 “One that’s-“

 “Oh, there you are, Doctor!” greeted a voice. The person it came from rushed over to them. Harry Sullivan glanced between the prince and the woman. “Nice to see you again, Miss Smith, old girl.” To the Doctor, he inquired, “Building up a collection, are we?”

 “Don’t call me-“ Sarah began to protest.

 “A collection?” the Doctor interrupted. “Apologize to Sarah.”

 Harry looked confused. “Apologize for what?”

 “Sarah is not a thing to be collected.”

 “What does he mean by a collection?” Sarah asked.

 “Of us Humans,” Harry clarified.

 “Apologize,” the Doctor demanded.

 Harry sighed. “My apologies, Miss Smith. I didn’t mean any insult by it.”

 Sarah was more amused than insulted by the whole conversation, and nodded her approval. “I think you’d need more than two to really count as a collection, anyway.”

 “Don’t you forget, Harry, that I didn’t invite you.”

 Harry shrugged. “The Brigadier told me to stick with you, especially after this morning-“

 “What happened this morning?” Sarah inquired.

 “I’ll tell you later,” the Doctor sighed.

 “And orders are orders. So, here I am.” Harry considered the police box. “You know what this thing’s doing here?”

 “Of course I do. I’m the one who put it here,” the Doctor answered in an annoyed tone. That annoyance immediately left his expression and voice when he turned to Sarah. “Would you like to look inside?”

 “You brought me here to show it to me. Of course I do.”

 The Doctor mouthed to Sarah, “Sorry about him,” before taking his pendant in hand and aligning it with the lock on the police box door.

 “I never would’ve guessed that was a key,” Sarah remarked as the Doctor pushed the door open. Her mouth hung open at the view of what was inside. A large round white room with a console in the center? That couldn’t be right, could it? The Doctor put his arm around Sarah’s shoulders to lead her inside. “It’s… how…?” Her eyes darted around the room, and she noticed a door on the other side. “It’s even bigger than this?”

 The Doctor spread his arms wide, barely caring that he smacked Harry on the side of the head as the other man entered. He stepped away from the two Humans to the console. “Welcome to the Tardis.”

 “Oh, I say!” Harry responded, rubbing his ear.

 Sarah took a few tentative steps, the sense that this should be an illusion messing with her spatial awareness. The Doctor pulled a lever without looking, and Sarah glanced back to see the doors close. She stared back at the Doctor. “What… what is this?”

 “I told you, the Tardis. Time and Relative Dimension in Space.” The Doctor’s eyes stayed on Sarah, practically ignoring Harry’s presence. “It’s a ship, for time and space.”

 Harry laughed. “Really? Come along now, Doctor, we’re all reasonable people. Now, we all know that police boxes don't go careering around all over the place. That whole idea’s absurd.”

 “Is it?” The Doctor’s face became annoyed again.

 “Yes, this is… must be all an illusion of some sort. How’s it done?”

 “How about we try to go somewhere, then? Just to demonstrate that this is all just an illusion”

 “Well, if you think it'll do any good.”

 “Oh, yes, it'll make me feel a lot better.” The Doctor winked to Sarah before striding around the console. Once again, his expression lightened when he looked to her. “This is something my people invented a long time ago, long before the ones who left the planet Gallifrey to settle on Earth even knew what Earth was.”

 “You mean it really can travel through time and space?” Sarah asked, eyes wide at the possibilities.

 “I wouldn’t lie to you.” Then the Doctor’s face fell slightly. “This one’s been limited in where it can go, locked to Earth and its orbit. Although I am trying to break through that infernal limitation. The Lords brought a few with them from Gallifrey.”  

 Sarah slowly walked around the console, looking at the array of buttons and dials and levers. “And this one’s yours?”

 “I claimed it, so in a manner of speaking, yes.”

 Sarah’s eyes narrowed at the man. “You mean… you stole it?”

 The Doctor squirmed slightly. “’Stole’ is such a rude term. ‘Liberated’ is more appropriate.” He waved his hand as a gesture. “These aren’t used. Haven’t been for centuries. I thought that was a shame, and… took one for myself a while back.”

 “And they let you keep it?”

 “It’s in their best interest,” the Doctor shrugged.

 “Right…” Sarah nodded, raising her brow in teasing amusement. “The same way it’s in their best interest to let you do whatever else you want.”

 “Exactly!”

 “Why does it look like a police box on the outside?”

 “Chameleon circuit got stuck several trips ago. I haven’t been able to repair it, but it’s grown on me.” The Doctor clapped his hands together as his expression became excited. “So, what do you say to a trip? How about… a little trip to the moon, just to prove that it works, especially to our doubting surgeon here?”

 “Oh, I believe you,” Sarah responded with clear sincerity. How could she not, after everything else she had experienced with the Doctor? She knew she was standing in a futuristic control room to a time and space ship that had the external appearance of a police box. Somehow, she knew this was all true, all real, and not an illusion. Getting involved with UNIT and knowing what they and the Doctor did had already been easy enough for her mind to accept, so why not this as well? “I think it would be amazing to see an Earth-rise from the moon.”

 The Doctor smiled at Sarah, and briefly took her hands between his, happiness not at all hidden in his expression or body language. Then he turned to the console. He pressed a few buttons across two parts of the hexagonal console, then stepped back.

 Sarah watched as the column in the middle went up and down, accompanied by a sort of grinding sound. She looked up to the Doctor to find that he was already looking down to her, his blue eyes intense and ecstatic to be able to share this with her.

 Their gaze broke to look at the console at the shudder that went through the ship.

 “Harry, don’t touch that!”


	7. Chapter 7

 The Doctor, Sarah, Harry, and the Brigadier walked through the Scottish forest in what they hoped was the direction of the Tardis. Harry lightly took Sarah’s arm to pull her back to walk with him. Sarah didn’t protest, now considering him a friend.

 “What an intense few weeks we’ve had,” Sarah remarked. “And yet, it’s only been a few days here since we left. That’s so strange.”

 Harry nodded. Then he nervously scratched above his ear. Quietly enough to not be overheard by the two men ahead of them, he asked, “You’ll be… you’ll be careful, won’t you?”

 “Harry, I think I’ve proved that I can handle dangerous situations.”

 “No, I don’t mean…” Sarah didn’t miss the way Harry glanced from her to the Doctor’s back, and to her again. “I mean… never mind.”

 “Never mind what?”

 “None of my business,” Harry shrugged. “Just… if you ever need me, I’m here.”

 “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again the next time I get mixed up in UNIT business.”

 “Outside of that, as a friend.”

 Sarah smiled. “That’s nice of you. I’ll be sure to call you up sometime.”

 “Ah, here we are,” the Doctor announced. “I knew we left it around here.”

 Sarah grinned at the sight of the blue police box, and rushed to be beside the Doctor.

 “I can be back in Arcadia five minutes ago,” the Doctor boasted. “Coming?”

 “No, thank you,” the Brigadier replied, taking a step back.

 “I think I’ll stick to InterCity this time, Doctor,” Harry politely refused.

 “Sarah?”

 “Alright, providing we go straight back to Arcadia.” Sarah’s grin widened as the Doctor nodded and turned to open the door.

 “Oh, we will. I promise.” As soon as the pair was inside and the door closed behind them, the Doctor added, “Just one quick stop first.”

 “Figured as much,” Sarah said without an ounce of disappointment as she watched him set the ship into motion.

 Only a moment later, the center column stopped, and the Doctor beamed to Sarah. He took Sarah’s hand and pulled the lever to open the door to the outside. Sarah simply stared out at the view, only stepping towards when the door when the Doctor gently pulled her along.

 “You said you wanted to see an Earthrise.”

 “Wow…” was all Sarah could say as they stood at the doorway. The top half of Earth peeked over the horizon of grey dirt and dust, surrounded by the blackness of space, and a subtle halo around it from the sun. “It’s… it’s so… beautiful.”

 The Doctor pulled her in close, and they sat together. They watched it in companionable quiet for a few minutes, then Sarah said, “It puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? I mean, I’ve seen NASA photos, but in person, it’s…”

 “Wonderful?” the Doctor supplied.

 “Yeah.” Sarah leaned into the man to get more comfortable. Her heart felt light as she felt a brief nuzzle to the top of her head.

 They stayed there for a long while, simply taking in the beauty of the slow rise of the Earth.

 ********

 “You materialized in my living room?” Sarah asked as she stepped out from the Tardis.

 “More discreet than your back garden.”

 “Fair enough.” Sarah put her hands on her hips as she inquired, “Stay for a bit?”

 “I’d be delighted.” The Doctor stepped from the Tardis and closed the door.

 Sarah put on some quiet instrumental music and went to the kitchen to get drinks and a snack for them both.

 “Other than taking it back to the palace for safekeeping, I think that’ll be the last trip in the Tardis for a while,” the Doctor called to her. He took a seat on the sofa.

 “Why’s that? Something wrong with it?”

 “No, no, but going by the idiot who haphazardly diverted us to Skaro, I’ve attracted attention from the other lot of Time Lords.”

 “Ah, best to lie low, then,” Sarah agreed, coming back with soda and sandwiches.

 “Unfortunately.”

 “We can- you can still travel the world the old-fashioned way. You know, with planes and such.”

 “I’m familiar with the concept. I have travelled more those ways than with the Tardis,” the Doctor said with a teasing raised brow. “So yes, we can still travel the world.”

 Sarah’s heart fluttered at his subtle correction of her statement. He wanted to keep traveling with her, no matter the method. It only added to her personal conclusions she’d had on the moon.

 They ate for a few moments, and Sarah prefaced her coming question with, “I know this subject isn’t your favorite, but I really am curious.”

 “Curious about what?” the Doctor asked, swallowing the last bite of his sandwich.

 “You said before that you were chosen to be a prince.”

 “Oh, that subject.” The prince didn’t seem as annoyed as he had the previous time she had asked about this. “Go on.”

 “What was it you were chosen on? Lord Academy performance?”

 “Yes, mostly that.”

 “You must’ve done really well. Although… you seem to be a poor fit for the position.”

 “I became a prince due to a daft mistake on my part.” The Doctor leaned back and was quiet for a moment, listening to the music. “You’re right, I did do well at the Academy. Noticeably above the other students in my year. That was a mistake I didn’t realize until I was thirteen and King Llewellyn chose me. I knew immediately I didn’t want that, so I began doing badly. But, well…”

 “The damage had already been done?”

 “Exactly. There was no fooling anyone with my sudden poor performance. And here I am, the third Prydonian prince of Gallifrey.”

 “How well did you do before that?”

 The Doctor briefly showed a prideful grin. “I surpassed not only the expectations set by Ciaran, but also Borusa.”

 “Well, no wonder the king wasn’t going to let a tantrum on your part change his mind.”

 The Doctor hummed. “Perhaps he should’ve taken it as a warning to how I would be.”

 “Maybe.” Sarah laughed lightly. “So, what do you think of your… do you call them your brothers? That’s the word most people use when talking about you three.”

 The Doctor gave a noncommittal shrug. “They’re certainly more suited to princehood than me. Borusa will make a fine leader when it’s his time, and I hope he rules for a long time so the position can never fall to me. Other than that, I have no ill will towards either of them, though I wish I wasn’t among them.”

 Sarah got the sense that was all the Doctor was going to say on the topic, so she finished her snack. When she did, the Doctor got up to clear the dishes for her, leaving her alone to gather her courage.

 Before they had left the moon, something in Sarah’s mind had clicked regarding the pair of them. While she’d always felt some physical attraction to the man, her feelings had grown until it was more than mere physical attraction. It must’ve been what Harry had meant earlier, when he hoped she would be careful. Getting involved with the Doctor more than she already was might count as going against better judgment, but her feelings about him… they weren’t going to go away. If anything, the intense few weeks on adventures had only heightened her already blossoming feelings for him before he had invited her into the Tardis. And if Harry had seen it, or suspected it, then there must be something there that the Doctor also shared.

 “Doctor?” Sarah said when the man came back to join her on the couch.

 “Yes?” The prince fully turned to her, drawing one knee up on the sofa.

 “I realized something on the moon earlier. I…” Her words suddenly failed her. “I think I want…” She gave up with that and slowly leaned towards him. She pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth, silently asking permission, then pulled away.

 The Doctor gazed at the woman, and nervously licked his bottom lip. He raised his hand to caress Sarah’s cheek. “I hope I’m reading that right,” he whispered as he copied her motion, allowing his kiss to the side of her mouth to be longer than hers had been.

Sarah bit her lip and smiled when the Doctor pulled away. “You are.”

 That was all they needed to lean in together to kiss fully. It was soft and slow, testing, asking. The Doctor’s slightly cool hand on Sarah’s face ghosted down to her neck, making her shiver.

 Sarah opened her eyes as they pulled apart to breathe. “How long… how long have you wanted to do that?”

 “Does it matter?”

 Sarah shook her head. They kissed again.

 Part of Sarah’s mind started to go through negative thoughts and potential consequences, and came to the conclusion that they shouldn’t be doing this. Sarah hadn’t realized she said the sentiment aloud until the Doctor whispered, “Maybe not, but I don’t care.”

 Sarah kissed him harder the next time to show that she didn’t care about her doubts either, to show that she truly wanted this.

 Without breaking the kiss, the Doctor’s arm went around Sarah’s back, and he laid down, pulling her down on top of him. Sarah’s hand snaked up the man’s body until her fingers reached the wild curls on the side of his head.

 The next time they pulled apart for air, the Doctor craned his neck up to nuzzle his nose against hers. Sarah giggled as her other hand came up to rest on the middle of his chest, feeling both hearts beating underneath.

 They came together to claim the other’s lips again.


	8. Chapter 8

 Sarah awoke in her bed, with a strong arm draped over her middle and a torso pressed against her back. Her eyes widened for a second at the unfamiliarity of the situation, but recalled instantly who it was with her and why. Her mouth drifted up into a content smile at the gentle ruffling of her hair by the Doctor’s breath.

 Both were clothed, she in pyjamas, neither wanting to rush into anything past the heavy kissing of the evening before.

 “You awake?” the Doctor’s voice rumbled in Sarah’s ear.

 Sarah shivered slightly at the sensation, and wiggled her body against him in response.

 “Hm… is that a yes or an involuntary unconscious movement?”

 Sarah giggled and turned over onto her back to get a look at the man, close enough to see his features in the near-complete darkness of the room. “Awake enough for you?”

 The Doctor moved his arm up from around Sarah’s waist to lightly caress her face. He grinned as Sarah moved in for a kiss. He eagerly met it, and lightly growled as her fingers ghosted up the side of his neck to his hair.

 Several minutes later, it was Sarah who reluctantly prompted, “Breakfast?”

 “I suppose we should at some point, yes,” the Doctor agreed.

 It took them at least another minute to get out of bed and go to the kitchen to make coffee and bagels.

 Halfway through eating, both flinched at the knock on the front door. “Sarah?” called a voice through it.

 Sarah’s eyes widened. “My aunt Lavinia.”

 “I’ll take that as my cue to leave.” The Doctor quickly kissed Sarah on the lips, and put his half-eaten bagel in his mouth.

 “Get out of here,” Sarah laughed, and pushed him towards the Tardis in her living room.

 The prince gave a cheeky salute as he entered and closed the door. Sarah quickly dumped his coffee mug. She called out at the third round of knocks, “Coming!” She waited a moment for the Tardis to completely disappear before she answered it.

 “Hey,” Sarah greeted as she opened her door to let her aunt in.

 Lavinia took in her niece’s somewhat flustered demeanor. “How have you been, dear?”

 “Great, really great,” Sarah nodded. “Did you come back from your trip to Germany last night?” She glanced around the living room, checking if the Doctor had left anything that Lavinia would recognize as not hers.

 “Oh, yes, I had a great time… Are you alright?”

 Sarah’s head whipped back to Lavinia. “Yeah, yeah, nothing wrong.”

 Lavinia fixed the younger woman with a stare. “Hiding something?”

 “No, nothing to hide.”

 Lavinia hummed. “Hiding a man in your room?” she teased.

 “Aunt Lavinia!” Sarah replied in shock.

 “What? You’re twenty-three, there’s no shame in having a man in your room.”

 Sarah shook her head in half-amusement, and changed the topic. “Tell me about your trip.”

 ********

 Sarah met up with the Doctor after work the next day, finding him waiting for her on her front porch. Sarah greeted, “I think the Tardis makes a better escape than shoving you out my back door or out my bedroom window.”

 “Shame, I’d like to meet the real Lavinia Smith,” the Doctor responded. When they settled on the sofa together, his demeanor changed to more serious. “You do… you do realize how important it is to keep ourselves secret?”

 Sarah nodded. “I know it wouldn’t really be good for us to be caught in a romantic situation together. I know the Lords don’t like the idea of us mixing like that.”

 “I know you haven’t, but I feel the need to ask anyway. You haven’t told anyone?”

 “Of course not. Who would I tell? No one would believe I’m romantically involved with one of the princes of Gallifrey, and anyone who might believe that could get us into trouble.” Sarah’s brow furrowed in thought. “What about when we help with UNIT? How careful will we have to be around them?”

 “Now that’s a question,” the Doctor nodded slowly. “We can’t outright tell them anything.”

 “I think Harry suspects our feelings for each other, but he can’t certainly know anything more than that. So, what? We try to act like we’re not more than friends there?”

 “For now. Not that they need to know about our personal lives, in any case.” 

 Sarah let out a long breath. She knew this secrecy would be part of their relationship. It didn’t seem right or fair that they would have to hide like this. “What about when we travel together? Surely-“

 “I’m not nearly as widely known or recognized as Borusa and Ciaran. My… nature has led to being less promoted and reported on outside of Gallifrey.”

 “Good to know that works in our favor. I’d hate to have to hide what we are everywhere we might go.”

 The Doctor smiled at Sarah. “That’s enough on that topic. Anything exciting going on in the world of investigative journalism?”

 

 A few hours later, they were snuggling in Sarah’s bed. Despite the Doctor’s earlier eagerness to change the topic earlier, she could see that something about that conversation still troubled him.

 “What is it?” she asked.

 “What’s what?”

 Sarah turned her body to fix him with a glare. “About keeping our relationship secret. Don’t tell me it’s nothing, because you know that’ll only make me worry until you do decide to tell me. Might as well do it now.”

 The Doctor sighed, and his arm around Sarah unconsciously tightened. “It isn’t pleasant, and I’d rather not talk about that right now.”

 “That really doesn’t help my worry about it.” Sarah sat up and pulled away from him to look at him directly. “We might as well get it out of the way.”

 The Doctor looked to the blanket between them for a moment. “Sarah, I… I don’t want to frighten you or hurt you or…” His gaze rose to meet hers. “But you’re right. You should know this. You should know what we’re risking by committing to this.” He fully sat up, and took her hand, his thumb brushing over the back of it.

 Sarah didn’t prompt him to answer right away. Whatever it was, it was obviously difficult for him to talk about, much less think about.

 “And it’s only fair you should know this now.” The prince sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Sarah. He took a deep breath. “When I returned the Tardis to the palace yesterday, I also did some discreet researching in the archives.”

 “About… any Lord-Human relationships?”

 The Doctor nodded.

 “So…?” Sarah prompted when the man was quiet for a long moment.

 “It wouldn’t just be a bad idea for us to be discovered. It’s against the law for a Lord and a Human to be involved like this.”

 Sarah tilted her head. “I thought it was more a social expectations sort of thing. But I guess they would make it a law if they really don’t like it.”

 “It’s extremely rare. In fact, there was only one recorded case I could find of such a couple being discovered. It happened around… fifty years ago.”

 “That rare? Wow…”

 “It’s not as though Lords are lining up to find Humans to be with. Our society is segregated enough to naturally discourage that.”

 “I suppose that makes sense. So, what happened in this case?”

 The Doctor stared down at their hands. “It involved a Prydonian.”

 Sarah lightened the mood with, “There’s a precedent, then.”

 The Doctor glanced up to her with a little smile at the joke. Then he continued, “He wasn’t a prince. Anyway, he met a young man in Scotland, named Jamie. They didn’t live in Gallifrey, and that might have helped them remain unknown for a few years before they were found out.”

 The Doctor fell quiet again, and Sarah got the feeling she shouldn’t have asked about this. Part of her no longer wanted to know what had happened to this couple, to know what could happen to them.

 The Doctor started to play with Sarah’s fingers. “When they were discovered by the Lords, they were brought to Gallifrey for trial. They were found guilty, and their sentence… their punishment… There was no official sentence to use in the books. I suppose they never expected a Lord to want to be with a Human. So, they decided to exile the Lord from Gallifrey. The Human, Jamie... they wiped his memory of his time with the Lord, and sent him back to Scotland.”

 “What?” Sarah hadn’t been expecting that. “They wiped his memory? They can do that?”

 “They can, and they did.” The Doctor swallowed heavily. “So, even if the Lord had found Jamie again, Jamie wouldn’t know him, wouldn’t remember any of the time they had shared together. He had to live the rest of his life remembering everything about his life with Jamie, and knowing Jamie couldn’t do the same with him. He lost him.”

 “That’s horrible,” Sarah breathed.

 The Doctor gravely nodded. He suddenly leaned in close to Sarah to take her face in his hands. His blue eyes shone from the intensity of his emotion. “The exile from Gallifrey, I could take with no problem. But, to know what they would do to you, to know that even if I saw you again, I would still have lost you… I couldn’t… I couldn’t bear that.” He looked down between them. “I wonder how that Lord did…”

 Sarah swallowed and was quiet for a long moment, taking the time to understand it before she responded. What a harsh and… inhumane punishment for simply being with someone. Her intuition when they had shared their first kiss that they shouldn’t be doing this… well, it had been right. She’d already known there would be consequences if they were found out. At the very least, it would cause a scandal. But this? For her memory to be wiped and him to be exiled? How could that ever be considered an appropriate punishment for loving and being with someone different?

 The Doctor let out a long and shaky breath. His grip on her hands tightened. “Now you know.”

 Sarah nervously bit her lip. “You didn’t know this before?”

 The Doctor shook his head. “I would understand completely if you didn’t want to continue being with me.”

 Sarah lifted the Doctor’s chin so he would look at her face. “That’s horrible, what happened to that Lord and Jamie. But that was… that was fifty years ago, and maybe things have changed.”

 “I wouldn’t count on that.”

 “Okay, maybe that attitude or law hasn’t changed, but neither has my mind.” As emphasis, Sarah pulled the Doctor in for a kiss. “My mind hasn’t changed,” she repeated. She kissed him again, harder this time.

 The corners of the Doctor’s mouth twitched upwards when they pulled apart.

 “Do you still want to be with me?” Sarah asked. At the prince’s nod, she stated, “Good, because I still want to be with you. We’ll just have to be careful, which we already knew we would have to be. Nothing’s changed.”

 “No, I suppose not,” the Doctor agreed.

 “I’m too stubborn to let what some stuffy aristocrats think stop me from being with the person I want to be with. And I know you definitely are.”

 The Doctor half-smiled. “You know me well.” He breathed deeply through his nose to gather himself. “You want to know something interesting?”

 “What?”

 “The Lord’s name. The one he chose before he graduated from the Academy.”

 “What about it?”

 “His name was the Doctor.” 

 Sarah’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “What a coincidence.” She laughed lightly. “Maybe they shouldn’t let Prydonians choose that name anymore.”

 “Yes… we do seem to be trouble, don’t we?”

 Sarah placed her hands on both sides of the Doctor’s chest, feeling both of his hearts beating. She smiled when he drew her into a gentle and passionate kiss.

 Neither of them was going to let this news of how bad it would be for them if they were discovered by the wrong people stop them.

 “I love you,” came the low whisper into Sarah’s ear.

 Sarah’s heart fluttered at those words, and her hands pressed harder against his chest as she stated, “I love you.”


	9. Chapter 9

 “I’ve worked something out with my job,” Sarah announced as she let the Doctor into her house.

 The Doctor beamed, glad that Sarah had been able to figure out managing her career between traveling with him. He didn’t want to take her away from her own aspirations.

 “I told them about my travel opportunities that may come up at any time. As long as I’m not in the middle of a big story here, I’ll be free to go. Depending on where I go, they’ll also expect a travel piece when I get back.”

 “That’s wonderful.” The Doctor pulled out a folded map of the world from his jacket pocket and held it out in front of him. “So, where to first, then?”

 Sarah’s eyes scanned the map, her mind going through ideas. “Anywhere?” she asked. The Doctor gave her an affirming nod. Anywhere, so many possibilities, where to first… After a moment, she decided, “Japan?”

 “Sounds great to me.” The Doctor folded the map and returned it to his pocket. “I’ll get the plans in-“ He broke off as Sarah practically jumped into his arms to kiss him hard.

 ********

 “So, where are you off to?” Lavinia asked, gesturing to the still-full small travel bag beside Sarah’s couch.

 “Just came back actually. Haven’t unpacked yet,” Sarah answered as she returned to the living room with dinner.

 “Oh? Where to? Work assignment?”

 Sarah shook her head. “Japan for eight days. Not exactly work related, though I am going to write a little something on it for work.”

 “Ah, enjoy yourself? Looks like you packed light.”

 “Just brought the essentials with…” Sarah just stopped herself from saying ‘us.’ “…me. Yeah, it was fun. I had a great time. How about your trip to… Chicago, was it?”

 “You don’t want to hear me prattle on about the lectures I did and attended there.” Lavinia raised her cup to hide her little smile. “When are you going to introduce me?”

 “Introduce you?”

 “Yes, to your new man.”

 Sarah let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t have a new boyfriend.”

 “Woman, then? Though I never thought you that type.”

 “Definitely not a woman, no,” Sarah chuckled.

 “So it is a man, then? Are you and him not serious enough to be at the meet the parents stage?”

 “Aunt Lavinia, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

 “You sure?”

 “I think I’d know if I did or not.”

 Lavinia made a noncommittal sound, and changed the topic. “So, Japan? It’s been a few years since I was there. What did you do there?”

 ********

 “Seriously, how do you do that?” Sarah whispered to the Doctor, pulling up the armrest between them of the first-class plane seat so she could lean into him.

 “Do what?” the Doctor asked.

 “How we get through the airport here in Gallifrey with no one recognizing you. It can’t just be the hood.”

 The Doctor put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “You’d be surprised how much people, especially Humans, let slide past their attention.”

 “Oh, come off it. That’s not a proper answer.”

 The Doctor pouted slightly. “Why can’t it be?”

 Sarah sighed in somewhat annoyed affection. “Fine, be mysterious. It certainly suits you.”

 An airline stewardess approached and asked them if they wanted anything before takeoff. They both shook their heads, and she continued on her way.

 “It’s about perception,” the Doctor whispered.

 Sarah hummed as she thought. “And your people have something extra in that department?”

 “You could say that. Also…” He let go of her to fully face her. “What would you say is a defining feature of my appearance?”

 Sarah studied the man’s face for a moment. “Your eyes?”

 The Doctor shook his head with a little grin. He hinted, “It’s not showing right now.”

 Sarah laughed lightly. “Your hair?”

 “It would be a bit of a giveaway, wouldn’t it?”

 “That would make it easier, yeah. And with you being the least reported on of the family…” Sarah leaned into him again. “That’s a better answer than your first one.”

 The Doctor lazily stroked his fingers across Sarah’s shoulder. “Maybe if you’re good, we’ll take a trip in the Tardis next.”

 Sarah’s mouth opened as she pulled back to stare at him. “If I’m good? What about you?”

 “That remains to be seen,” the prince teased.

 Sarah shook her head and settled against him again. A few minutes later, the pilot announced they would be taking off soon, and the pair readied themselves for the flight to Mexico.

 ********

 “My aunt is getting very suspicious that I’m seeing someone,” Sarah stated as she and the Doctor laid in her bed. He was staying with her for the weekend. They deserved that much after helping UNIT over the past couple of days.

 “Is she now?”

 “She’s quite convinced, despite my protesting.” Sarah sighed. “Although… I would like for you two to meet sometime.”

 The Doctor nuzzled his nose to Sarah’s hair, then pulled away. “How likely would it be for her to recognize me?”

 Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s not one to care about that kind of thing to purposely seek it out. But I can’t say she wouldn’t know you, obviously. Same reason why we’re extra careful here in Gallifrey.”

 The Doctor was quiet for a moment. Then he asked, “What about Harry?”

 Sarah moved back and sat up to look at the man in confusion. “What about Harry?”

 The Doctor grinned as he also sat up. “Yes, Harry. Your aunt thinks you have a boyfriend, so… why not let her meet him?”

 “Him, as in Harry?”

 “Exactly.”

 Sarah laughed and shook her head. “Doctor, I like Harry. I do, but not like that. I highly doubt I could convincingly act like he and I are together.”

 “Even just for a couple hours?”

 “I don’t think he could do it, either. Can you imagine, Harry trying to act like my boyfriend?” She laughed again.

 “Alright, then maybe Benton, or the good Captain Yates?”

 Sarah considered the options. “Benton is nice, and Mike is pretty sweet on me, I’ll admit.” She leaned in close to kiss the prince’s nose before she stated, “But, you’re missing something obvious.”

 The Doctor tilted his head in question.

 “If I asked one of them to pretend to be with me, they’ll ask why. And I can’t think of anything to tell them that wouldn’t give us away. Can you?”

 “You’ve got a point.” The Doctor looked deflated.

 “It’s not that I don’t trust them to keep our secret, but…”

 “They should only find out if it’s necessary,” the Doctor finished.

 “Yeah.” Sarah caressed the man’s cheek.

 The Doctor placed his hand over hers on his face, and brought it down to kiss her fingers. “It bothers you?”

 “A little, yeah. It’s just… a bit hard, you know? I want to tell her why I’m so happy, how wonderful you are, how you make me feel…” Sarah smiled to the man. “Do you have anyone like her you want to tell about me?”

 The Doctor shook his head. “Not really. I do understand the feeling, but I’m not that close to anyone.”

 Sarah was quiet for a minute. “I’m not having any regrets about being with you over this.”

 “Maybe someday,” the Doctor whispered.

 “Yeah, maybe someday.” Sarah leaned in to kiss the Doctor softly.


	10. Chapter 10

 After they ate breakfast, which the Doctor had cooked, Sarah pulled him over to the couch, kissing him as they went. She pushed him down to sit, and straddled his thighs to continue the kiss.

 A few minutes of heavy kissing and touching later, Sarah felt a heat building within her. One that she hoped the Doctor felt as well. She wanted this, knew it was now the right time for this. She whispered, “I want to go further.”

 The Doctor hummed against her neck. “You’re ready for that?” His voice wavered a tiny bit.

 “Yes,” Sarah giggled at the slight tickling sensation of his voice against her neck. She pulled back to look him in the eye. “Yes,” she stated. Then her confidence faltered a little at the seemingly shy expression on the man’s face. “Do… do you?”

 “I do,” the Doctor assured. “It’s just… I haven’t really…”

 Sarah’s brow lifted in surprise, though she wasn’t quite sure why she was surprised. Maybe she thought, with his position and status… “Really? Not with anyone?”

 The prince shook his head. “There was a boy at the Academy with me who I… was with. But, I broke it off before we could get this far. And… well, no Lord has interested me since.”

 He’d only been in a relationship with one Lord, when he had been a teen? Once again, she was surprised to hear this. “No Humans had interested you, either?” Sarah asked, biting her lip.

 The Doctor wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer. “There’s only one of them who has caught my interest in that way.” His blue eyes caught the hazel ones. “She’s five-four, brown-haired, spirited, compassionate, intelligent… and oh, look… she’s sitting on my lap right now.”

 Sarah laughed lightly, and her fingers gently grasped the wild curls around his ears. “That makes me feel quite special, then.”

 “You’ve always been quite special.” He pulled her into a deep kiss. When they pulled apart to breathe, he whispered, “And I would be very happy to give myself to you now.”

 “I’d be happy to give myself to you,” Sarah echoed. Her confidence returned in full force, and she moved her hands down to the top button of his shirt. When he nodded, she began to undo them, exposing the leanly muscled torso beneath.

 She’d seen him shirtless before, when he had needed to dive into a lake to retrieve some UNIT equipment from a capsized boat. But this was different, and was certainly going to lead to something different than that had. For one, she hadn’t had much time to admire him before, and she wasn’t going to rush this. She took a moment to simply lay her hands on both sides of his slightly cooler chest, feeling the double heartbeat. She’d felt it before, in quiet intimate moments, and she relished in the strangeness and familiarity of it.

 The Doctor moved up to wiggle out of the sleeves once all the buttons were undone. Then he gripped the bottom of Sarah’s shirt. At her nod, he pulled it up and helped her out of it. It joined his beside them.

 They explored each other newly revealed skin with tender touches and soft kisses. Sarah threw her head back as the Doctor kissed across her collarbone.

 It didn’t take long before Sarah prompted, “Maybe we should take this to the bedroom?”

 The Doctor grinned, and with very little effort, held her under her thighs and smoothly stood. Sarah quickly looped her arms around his neck and her calves squeezed his waist to make sure she wouldn’t fall. Then she giggled and buried her face in his neck as he carried her to the bedroom.

 The Doctor turned around to let the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed so he could fall backwards onto the bed and have her land on top of him. Sarah barely gave him a chance to breathe before she claimed his lips again.

 The Doctor’s fingers danced up and down the woman’s back, catching on her bra strap. When she told him, “You can undo that,” he eagerly did so, though it did take him a few attempts to undo the clasp without looking and under her excited ministrations to his mouth and chest. Their trousers and underwear followed soon after.

 Despite any earlier shyness or lack of confidence, they easily fell into passionate and tender intimacy.

 

 The Doctor lazily played with Sarah’s hair splayed out on the pillow, and he looked down to her closed eyes. “Did I do well for you?”

 Sarah opened her eyes and her blissful smile widened. “Yes… it was very good. What about for you?”

 The Doctor nodded. He leaned in for a soft kiss. Sarah stared up at him when he pulled away, and a small laugh escaped her mouth at a thought.

 “What?”

 “Oh, nothing, just… Who would’ve thought that me pretending to be my aunt for a science convention would lead to this? To me being with you like this?”

 “Who indeed?” the Doctor mused. He lightly trailed a finger up her abdomen and between her breasts until his hand could caress her face.

 Sarah turned into the touch, loving the strength and lightly cooler temperature of the large hand. She nipped at his thumb, and grinned at the responding tap of it to her nose. “I love you.”

 The Doctor pressed his forehead to Sarah’s. She felt something at the edge of her mind, and knew it was him, asking permission. She did her best to open her mind to him, not exactly sure how that was supposed to work. He had told her about the advanced mental capabilities of Lords before, but she had never expected to experience it for herself.

 “I love you.” Sarah heard the words in her mind, which felt strange but somehow not in a bad way. The Doctor also projected his emotion with the words, and she felt giddy at the intensity of it.

 Sarah tried to do the same back to him, and smiled at the physical nudge of his nose to the side of hers. “Did I do it right?” she asked verbally.

 The Doctor pulled away slightly. “I felt it, yes.” He sounded a little giddy as well. “Oh, my Sarah Jane…”

 Sarah lifted her and to pull him down again. “My Doctor…”


	11. Chapter 11

 Two years later.

 The Doctor and Sarah entered the villa they were staying at in San Martino, Italy, with a half-empty bottle of wine leftover from dinner in hand. They’d already been here a week, and this wasn’t like their usual exploring or helping people or UNIT-related travel trips together. No, this was simply a relaxing holiday for them, and the villa with the nearby orange grove and forest had been perfect for a romantic getaway.

 They had Duke Giuliano to thank for this place, with him having said when they had helped him the month before with the Mandragora Helix and Cult of Demnos that if they wanted anything from him, all they had to do was ask. And so, he had set them up here, not far from his home and the small city.

 As the Doctor put the wine away, Sarah reflected on the past two-and-a-half years.

 Their relationship wasn’t completely secret anymore, with their UNIT friends having figured it out. They had sworn them to secrecy. She doubted they knew it was against the law, but they certainly understood the social scandal that could happen if they told anyone.  Otherwise, no one else knew. Her aunt knew Sarah was with someone, but had stopped asking who he was quickly, respecting her niece’s request for privacy on the matter. Sarah had learned to stop feeling the guilt involved in that.

 They had been to many places now, using both conventional means and, on occasion, the Tardis to travel in time. They’d been waylaid a couple times by the other lot of Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey, but that didn’t dissuade their spirits about using the time-space ship when they thought they could get away with it.

 Sarah took the Doctor’s hand as they left the villa again, this time to go to the orange grove before it could get too dark out. When they arrived, the prince took her other hand to start a slow dance. As he dipped her at the end, she pulled him the rest of the way down to a kiss.

 They then walked a little further, and Sarah picked an orange off a tree. Not because she was still hungry after the dinner they’d had in town, but because it just seemed to fit the mood.

 They sat against a tree trunk, and she bit into the orange, taking out the peel from her mouth a couple seconds later. She wiped at her chin to keep the juice from dripping onto her dress. She had only peeled the fruit halfway before the Doctor swooped in and took a bite.

 “Oi, impatience,” Sarah laughed, swatting the man’s shoulder.

 With a mouth full of orange, the Doctor pressed his lips to hers, which made Sarah squeak. They laughed together.  

 

 The couple returned to the villa, having made love in the orange grove, and cuddled on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

 “This time with you…” the Doctor mused in a low voice. He leaned his head sideways to rest on hers. “I can’t imagine having never met you.”

 “Me neither.” Sarah stared into the dancing flames. What they were, the love they shared… well, imagining having never met this eccentric, rebellious, wonderful prince was difficult, and something she’d rather not do. She couldn’t imagine not having this.

 Sarah smiled at the kiss to the top of her head, and snuggled closer into the Doctor’s hold.

 ********

 A couple days later, Sarah was reading a book while the Doctor prepared them lunch.

 The Doctor had just sliced the bread for their sandwiches when an odd sensation flared in his head. No, not his head, but in his mind. He gritted his teeth through it, and clenched his fists at the intrusion. It dissipated a second later.

 He knew what it was. A telepathic summons to Gallifrey. He’d never experienced it himself, but there was no mistaking the artificial pull to return.

 He shook his head, and that emotional pull also faded within a few seconds. He was here in Italy, enjoying his holiday with Sarah. If Gallifrey needed anything, well, they could do without him. He was determined to ignore it.

 Then a stronger mental disruption hit him, and an image entered his mind. _He was rushing through a sea of faces, people in ceremonial robes reaching out for him, clawing at him…  Then… looking down at the panopticon from a gallery. King Llewellyn was on the stage with a crowd around him. The Doctor looked down to his hands as the sensation of something in them, and saw a rifle. He raised the rifle, and aimed it directly at the king’s face._

 “No! No!” The Doctor inhaled sharply, and fell backwards against the cabinets. His eyes were wide, and breathing uneven as he mentally processed what he had seen and felt.

 “Doctor?” Sarah rushed in to see what had happened. She kneeled down in front of the man on the floor, almost shaking against the bottom row of cabinets. “Doctor? What happened?” He was certainly in distress.

 “The call…” The prince’s voice was quiet and wavering. “I’ve had the call from Gallifrey…”

 “Call?” Sarah’s brow furrowed. “But, we haven’t had our phones on, and I didn’t hear-“

 “No, not like that. Like…” He tapped at his temple. His eyes were still glazed over.

 “Telepathically?”

 The Doctor shook his head again, to clear the remaining fogginess from his mind. “I was going to ignore it. But, then… what came after…”

 Sarah took the Doctor’s hands. “What came after?”

 “A… a premonition, I think. No, I know.”

 “Of what?”

 “The king. What’s… tomorrow? What is it, what is it…” The Doctor let out a grunt of frustration. “Come on, think, Doctor! A ceremony Llewellyn would be at…”

 “Isn’t the Renewal of the King’s Vows around this time of year?” Sarah suggested.

 “That’s got to be it!” He pushed himself up to his feet, and grabbed Sarah as his legs felt unsteady. He took a few seconds to get his strength back before fully standing. “I have to go back to Gallifrey.”

 “Now?”

 The Doctor nodded. “I’m sorry.”

 “If it’s an emergency, there’s no need to be sorry. We’ll go pack our things and be off.”

 “No!” the Doctor shouted. “No,” he repeated more quietly. “Not you.”

 “What? What do you mean, not me?”

 “You can’t come with me.”

 “What?” Sarah couldn’t believe this.

 “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

 “Like that’s ever stopped us before.”

 The Doctor grabbed Sarah by the shoulders. “I’m serious. I can’t take you with me.” He let out a long breath. “I’ll be right back.” Then he dashed off.

 All Sarah could think to do was walk to the living room area and stare as he rushed up the stairs to pack any essentials. He couldn’t be serious, could he? Why couldn’t she go with him?

 The Doctor rushed back down the stairs, wrapping his long scarf around his neck and shouldering a backpack. It reminded her of how he had rushed off to take care of the scientist-kidnapping Sontaran when they had met.

 “Why can’t I come with you?” Sarah demanded.

 “You know I can’t take you to the Palace or anywhere else in the Lord sector.”

 “I get that, but I live in Gallifrey, too, you know.”

 The Doctor placed his hands on Sarah’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, but this… I have to do this alone.”

 “Alone?

 “Yes.”

 Sarah could sense his fear, could see it intensely shining in his eyes.

 “Stay here, Sarah.”

 “Doctor, you’re scaring me now.”

 “Am I? I’m scaring myself, too. But that doesn’t make this any less serious. What’s to come… I don’t know, but it’s… it’s big and extremely dangerous.” He took a deep breath. “I need you to stay here.”

 “Doctor, I-“

 “Please, Sarah! Please… stay here.” The Doctor leaned in close. “Stay here, and don’t return to Gallifrey until I come back for you. I mean that. Don’t trust any form of contact from me telling you to return.”

 “What? You really think someone would-“

 “It’s a possibility. Now, promise me you’ll stay here and won’t follow me to Gallifrey.”

 “Doctor, what’s-“

 “Promise me!" the Doctor's tone became more desperate than before. "Please, Sarah, promise me. I need to know you’ll stay out of this.”

 Once again, the intensity of the fear in his eyes frightened Sarah, and made her anxiety rise. Whatever this was, whatever he had seen… “I promise.”

 The Doctor pressed his forehead to Sarah’s. “Thank you,” he whispered.

 Sarah closed her eyes and nudged her nose against his, and moaned quietly into his mouth as he claimed her lips with his.  In her mind, she heard his voice say, “I love you,” and a rush of warmth as their mouths parted. She returned the words and emotion in kind.

 The Doctor’s hand caressed Sarah’s cheek before he pulled away from her completely. “I’m sorry, but I must go.”

 Sarah stood aside to let him go to the front door. “Alright. Just… come back quickly.”

 “I will as quickly as I can. I promise.” The prince quickly stepped to the door, opened it, then turned to Sarah. He rushed back to her and pulled her into a deep and desperate kiss.

 “I love you,” he whispered, verbally this time, before they kissed again.

 When they broke apart, Sarah held him down to her so their foreheads were touching again, just for a few seconds. “I love you, too.” Her voice broke with emotion.

 The Doctor took a step back, and with difficulty, forced himself to turn away from her again and rush out the door.

 Sarah hurried to the open door, and stood there staring after him. He would come back, she said to herself. He had to, whatever was going to happen, he was going to return to her after.


	12. Chapter 12

 The Doctor discreetly entered the palace early in the morning. He would’ve preferred to be here the night before, but he couldn’t do anything about decreasing the travel time from Italy. He’d probably been lucky to find a last-minute flight from there early this morning. He had hated leaving Sarah the way he did, but he didn’t have any time to waste, and didn’t want to risk anything happening to her.

 He hurried to the King’s wing of the palace, and didn’t give the locked door any mind as he took out his sonic screwdriver to force his way in. He hurried through the wing, calling out the king’s name.

 “Llewellyn?” the Doctor knocked on the bedroom door. At the lack of an answer, he let himself in, and sighed at the lack of person inside. “Llewellyn?”

 The Doctor slumped down on the chair in front of the desk. “Just my luck, you’ve probably already left for the ceremony. Of course this wouldn’t be that easy.”

 He thought of what to do next. He knew he didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that he was in the Lord sector of Arcadia. It would prevent him from taking action, especially while a huge ceremony was going on.

 He considered the desk for a moment, and took a pen and sheet of paper. He wrote, ‘To the Castellan, I have good reason to believe the life of the king is in danger. Do not ignore this warning.’ He folded it and slipped it into his pocket.

 Now, he had to get into the citadel and the Panopticon without anyone noticing. He made sure his hood was pulled up, and made his way out of the Palace.

 As he hurried to the Citadel, a tall building filled with important offices and meeting rooms and ceremonial rooms, the Doctor got the feeling that something bigger was going on, and he had to be very careful. Not that it would be unusual for a prince to attend the Renewal of the Vows. Quite the opposite, in fact. But, his presence could be seen as conspicuous, and he didn’t want to let the would-be potential assassin know he was here and onto them.

 He first made his way to an alarm system. He left the note on it, and set it off so someone would find it quickly. Then he went to the museum. He would need a disguise of sorts, and smiled as he broke in and saw a set of gold ceremonial robes on display. He had his own set at the palace, of course, but wearing his would only call attention to himself. He quickly changed into them, leaving his own clothes in their place.

 To throw of anyone who might be on his trail, he switched robes with someone else, and continued on to the Panopticon. He kept his head bowed low, and did his best to blend in until he was inside. People did recognize him, but didn’t seem to think his presence too odd, and made friendly talk as he walked with them. He’d made it just in time, with the ceremony due to start in only a few minutes.

 Once inside, he separated from the group, and went up the stairs to the upper gallery around the grand room. He glanced around, until he saw a news camera set up in an unoccupied section, directly facing the stage where the king would be soon. That spot would match the angle in his vision.

 “Let me through! They’ll kill him!” the Doctor growled to the people in his way as he rushed over to the camera. He shed the cumbersome outer robes. The musical fanfare spurred him to move faster, and served to distract anyone’s attention from him. Llewellyn would be on the stage any second now.

 He immediately spotted the energy rifle beside the camera, and picked it up. He glanced down to the stage, and there was the king in all his glory, ready to begin another year of leading Gallifrey.

 The Doctor’s eyes widened at the flash of metal from someone around Llewellyn. There wasn’t time to call out a warning. He raised the rifle and aimed for the weapon, and fired.

 The Doctor staggered back in shock as Llewellyn fell. Surely, he hadn’t… not in his attempt to shoot the actual threat. He’d… he’d been too late.

 “There he is!”

 The Doctor turned at the shout, and saw several guards running for him. He knew this looked bad. He was standing there with a rifle in his hands and a perfect view of the king…

 He tried to run, but was shoved down from behind. He winced at the strike to his head, and groggily raised his hands in surrender.

 He couldn’t do anything, didn’t offer any attempts at escape, as he was half-dragged across the gallery and down the stairs to where everyone was gathered around the fallen king.

 “We’ve got the criminal!” the guard captain announced.

 “Prince Doctor?” the Castellan asked.

 A collection of gasps and disbelieving noises sounded all around as the prince was brought forward.

 “He was in the gallery, sir, still holding this,” the guard captain reported, raising the rifle.

 The Doctor tried to see the king through the throng of people. “Is he…” He swallowed heavily. “Is he dead?”

 “Get him to a detention room,” the castellan ordered.

 The Doctor didn’t need the verbal confirmation to know what had happened. He had failed to stop what he had seen from happening. He sought the Castellan’s gaze. “No, no, wait, wait, I-“ He didn’t have a chance to protest, and was shoved out of the Panopticon.

 What a mess he landed himself in. A mess he was glad that, if nothing else, Sarah was safe from.

 ********

 The Doctor clamped down on another cry of pain as the guard captain aimed the device at him again. The earlier attempts at trying to convince the man that he didn’t deserve this had been refuted with a reminder that being a prince didn’t give him immunity from being questioned like anyone else.

 Thankfully, the pain stopped when the Castellan came in. “I must apologize for my subordinate. He lets his enthusiasm run away with him.”

 The Doctor snorted. “I see. The hot and cold technique. Come on, Spandrell, I don’t deserve that.”

 “We simply don’t have much time to entertain you with slower methods. Chancellor Goth has ordered your immediate trial.”

 “A bit fast, isn’t it? Though, with what just happened… I’d like to help you. How about a signed confession? Believe me, I want the killer found and brought to justice.” 

 “You want yourself brought to justice, then? Good.”

 The Doctor sighed. “You’re convinced I did it, then?”

 “I’d rather not want to think one of our princes killed King Llewellyn and Prince Ciaran, but-“

 “Ciaran?” the Doctor’s breath caught in his throat. “Ciaran’s dead, too? But, I didn’t see him there. How-“

 “Don’t play dumb, Doctor,” Spandrell said sharply. “His body was found soon after you were taken away, in a locked room near the Panopticon.”

 “And you think-“

 “His time of death was determined to be not long before the ceremony began, giving you enough time to kill him before setting up in the Panopticon.”

 The Doctor slumped in the chair, his hands fisting and pulling at the cuffs securing him to it. He stared down at the floor.

 “What was your motive?” Spandrell asked.

 The Doctor snapped his head back up. The time for grieving would be later. He had to focus on getting himself out of this first.

 “A personal grudge?” Spandrell suggested.

 “I had nothing against either of them,” the Doctor answered forcefully. “Nothing at all.”

 “You didn’t want to get them out of the way so you could become the king?”

 “Spandrell, you know me. When have I ever expressed any desire to take the crown? You really think I did this?”

 Spandrell let out a long exhale. “I think you’re going to be executed for it. Right after the trial, I’m certain. You have about three hours to live, my prince.”

 “What? That’s monstrous!” the Doctor protested, trying to stand and only getting a few inches off the chair. “Execution without representation is against the constitution.”

 Spandrell shook his head. “You are an embarrassment.”

 “This isn’t the first time I’ve been told that,” the Doctor met his gaze. “The circumstances are new, but… You realize I’ve been framed, don’t you?”

 “Why did you come here, Doctor? You’ve never shown interest in attending any royal ceremonies or duties.”

 “To try to save Llewellyn’s life. I left a note for you.”

 “Ah, so you left that? I did all I could do. So, you knew the king was going to be assassinated?”

 The Doctor could tell Spandrell was starting to doubt the accusations. At the very least, he was interested in the Doctor’s side of the story and didn’t seem to want him to die soon. He had something to work with now. “Yes. In a way, I experienced it.” He took a deep breath. “You might not believe this, but I had a premonition. I saw him die yesterday. I was in Italy, San Martino…”

 ********

 The Doctor stared down at the sheet of paper in front of him and started to draw as the trial began. He listened as Goth questioned the various witnesses. He only looked up in suspicion when Goth led one witness to say that, in his rush to the camera and rifle, he might have said ‘Let me through, I’ll kill him.’

 A guard came into the room, and whispered into Goth’s ear. Goth nodded, and stood. “It seems there is another accusation to be judged on. As if the Doctor needed more of that, but we might as well get it all out now.”

 The Doctor tilted his head. What else were they going to pin on him? Were the assassinations of the king and one of the other princes not enough?

 And then the guards escorted someone in. The Doctor’s chest tightened in dread.

 Sarah.


	13. Chapter 13

 “What new accusation do you bring forth?” one of the jurors asked Goth.

 “An illegal romantic and sexual relationship with this Commoner woman, Sarah Jane Smith.” Goth stated.

 The Doctor closed his eyes, and let the resulting chattering fade into the background. He didn’t say anything. He opened them a moment later to see that Sarah wasn’t really looking at him, and was trying to express confusion at the very idea. It was something they had decided on doing early on in the relationship, in case anyone of importance cared about a possible relationship. Act like the idea was preposterous, or at the very least, confusing.

 The Doctor’s mind raced on the possibilities of outcomes. If he was to be executed for the double assassination, and Sarah punished for the crime of their relationship… Or what if he was cleared of the assassination, but then they both were punished for that? Or… or… He did his best to dispel those thoughts.

 Whatever the outcome, this certainly complicated things, would influence something, whether calculable or not. The timing was certainly more than suspicious. To bring this into the open during his trial of killing the king and second prince?

 Despite this unexpected turn of events, the Doctor forced himself to continue on with his disinterested demeanor. But that was so much harder to actually do, now that the idea of his relationship with Sarah had been brought to light. He could only hope that no one had seen their initial shocked reactions to seeing each other in the courtroom.  

 “Chancellor Goth, is this really necessary?” asked a juror. “To add another accusation to the Doctor that is completely unrelated to the one already being decided upon?”

 “If that is the opinion of the court, then, if applicable after this trial, it will be decided upon at a later time.” Goth graciously bowed his head.

 The rest of the court voted, and the Doctor exhaled a silent breath of relief that the Lords wouldn’t hurt Sarah right now.

 “Very well, the court has spoken.” Goth respectfully bowed his head. “Take her to the detention center,” he ordered the guards.

 Sarah flashed a look of alarm to the Doctor, who could only respond with a tiny hopefully assuring shake of his head. It was all he could risk in communication. Under the desk, he clenched his fist not holding the pen as he watched Sarah be escorted out of the courtroom. He had to trust that they wouldn’t hurt her without due process. But, with the very recent upheaval…

 “Now then, where were we?” Goth brought the attention back to the matter at hand. “Ah yes. Has the accused anything to say before the sentence is pronounced?”

 The Doctor, despite his doodling and generally unconcerned appearance, had been intently listening for one word, one piece of information that could stay the intended sentence of execution. “Yes. Where is Prince Borusa?”

 Goth replied, “Prince Borusa? I fail to-“

 “Where is Prince Borusa?” the Doctor repeated.

 “He is in Canada on a diplomatic trip,” one of the jurists answered. “Or rather, he was, until a couple hours ago, when he was reported as missing by his bodyguards.”

 “Borusa’s missing?” the Doctor concluded.

 “Considering the news what only a couple of hours ago has no doubt already gone global, it wouldn’t surprise me if he took measures to secure his own safety,” Goth responded. “Or perhaps, this is another act of yours, Doctor.”

 “Prince Borusa is missing,” the Doctor reiterated. “Which makes me the crown prince.” He ignored the sounds of conflicting approval and disapproval around and behind him.

 “The application is frivolous. Prince Borusa is missing, not dead,” Goth dismissed.

 The Doctor stood. “Until he is found, one way or another, I am legally the crown prince. No candidate for the crown shall in any way be debarred or restrained from presenting their claim.”

 “You are a murderer, Doctor, and cannot seriously claim this in the middle of your trial.”

 One of the jurors spoke up. “Chancellor, I must point out that until he is pronounced guilty, he is protected by this status.”

 “He is abusing a legal technicality.”

 “No, sir, I am claiming my legal right as a prince of Gallifrey.”

 “Chancellor, this court must be adjourned until Borusa is found, or a reasonable length of time has passed of him remaining missing. I believe forty-eight hours is standard?”

 Goth sighed heavily, and stared directly at the Doctor. “Very well. But do not think you will escape justice.”

 The Doctor put his hands in the pockets of the red trousers he had been given upon being arrested, and breathed a long exhale of relief.

 “Forty-eight hours, Doctor,” Spandrell informed quietly as everyone else left.

 “Well, it’s better than three.” The prince looked to the other man. “Suppose I can convince you I didn’t do it?”

 ********

 After proving the sights on the rifle had been fixed and the Doctor couldn’t have shot the king with it, or the actual assassin, and he had claimed it was a member of the High Council who had done the deed, the Doctor made a request to Spandrell.

 “While you go get permission to have the Panopticon open for further investigation, I would like to see the woman Goth had brought in to the trial.”

 “The one you’re accused of being in an illegal relationship with? Whatever for?”

 “Have some compassion, Spandrell. She’s been arrested from wherever she was and quickly put into a trial that she probably has no idea what it’s for, then is accused of being in an illegal relationship with the accused man in the trial. She’s probably afraid and confused, and a friendly face might be what she needs right now, instead of the stern indifference of your guards.”

 “You think it wise that the friendly face be yours, and that you would use your remaining time on this?”

 The Doctor smiled. “I so hate to see someone upset, especially if there’s anything I can do to help.”

 “Very well. Hildred, take him to the detention center, and give him some privacy if he requests it,” Spandrell ordered. “I warn you, Doctor, if this is a ruse to speak or escape with an accomplice-“

 “It’s not, I assure you.” He had to give another reason to see Sarah. “She might even know something that could help us discover the truth of what’s going on.”

 The Doctor tried not to let his impatience show as he was taken to the detention cells. Hildred glared at the Doctor in suspicion when they stopped outside of Sarah’s and when the prince asked for privacy.

 “She’s hardly going to open up with you lot standing around out here making her anxious,” the Doctor justified.

 Hildred sighed, and positioned his guards at the ends of the corridor. Then he had the solid cell door opened.

 Sarah immediately got up from the cot. The Doctor slightly raised his hand to signal for her not to speak.

 “Hello, Miss Smith, yes? Are you being treated well?” he greeted as Hildred closed and locked the door behind him. Then he raised a finger to his lips and pressed his ear to the door. A few seconds later, two pairs of footsteps faded.

 Then the Doctor rushed to Sarah, and tightly wrapped her in an embrace. “They haven’t hurt you, have they?” he whispered with a note of desperation.

 “No,” Sarah’s voice mirrored that desperation.

“Good.” The prince took a deep breath. “We can talk now,” he prompted after he planted a kiss to the top of her head.

 Sarah squeezed him tightly before she let go and pulled back. “I didn’t follow you back to Gallifrey, I promise.”

 “I’m sure you didn’t.” Whatever was going on, the Doctor knew he couldn’t blame her for this part of it. He placed his hand on her shoulders, his thumb stroking along the side of her neck in comfort. “What happened?”

 “I went out to have breakfast with Giuliano this morning. When I got back to the villa, they were waiting for me.”

 “They? What did they look like?”

 “Gallifreyan police. I didn’t try run or anything. I thought it was best to cooperate.”

 “I see.” The Doctor blew out a short breath. He sat down on the cot in thought. Sarah sat next to him. “If someone purposely went to get you from San Martino, instead of say… catching you trying to sneak into the Citadel, that only confirms my suspicions. If that isn’t evidence of a set-up, then I don’t know what is.”

 “I got the feeling as soon as I was brought here a couple hours or so ago that something big had just happened.” She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “It looked like you were on trial in there? What for?”

 The Doctor glanced sidelong to the woman. “They didn’t tell you?”

 “Tell me what?”

 “No, I suppose they wouldn’t tell you. Keeping you confused and in the dark might serve them better.”

 Sarah fixed the man an impatient look. “Doctor, what is it?”

 “I was on trial for assassinating Llewellyn and Ciaran.”

 “What?” Sarah’s eyes widened. “They’re dead? And… and they think you…?”

 “To be somewhat fair, the circumstance in which they found me wasn’t exactly in my favor.”

 Sarah tried to joke, “Not uncommon with us.” She took a few deep breaths. “Hard to imagine, the king and one of the princes assassinated.”

 “Llewellyn’s happened during the Renewal of the Vows ceremony.”

 Sarah winced. “Which broadcasts live…”

 “Ciaran was killed soon before, more privately.”

 “That’s… can’t think of anything to say.” She rested her forehead on her knees and closed her eyes as she processed the information. She smiled slightly at the arm that draped over her. “And they’re accusing you of their murder…” She raised her head. “What about Borusa? Can’t he help?”

 “He’s presumably in Canada, but… he’s been reported as missing. Also conveniently within the timeframe of the assassinations.”

 “Do you… do you think he’s also-“

 “I don’t know, Sarah. I don’t know. But right now, because of that, they’ve accepted my claim of being the crown prince. At least temporarily. It’s the only thing offering me any means of protection from swift justice. It’s given me some time to figure out what’s going on and prove my innocence.”

 “Swift justice? Yeah, having the trial right away is pretty quick. Were they going to sentence you already?”

 The Doctor gravely nodded, but withheld the proposed sentence.

 “Why bring me into this? Why state… us, with what they were already judging you for?”

 “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” The prince inhaled deeply through his nose. “It’s all rather convenient. They have no evidence to pin Borusa’s disappearance on me, but everything else… There’s no other conclusion I can make.”

 “You’re being framed,” Sarah stated.

 “And further discredited. That’s the only reason I can think of to bring what we are into all this. That’s a completely unrelated matter.”

 “Which the jury seemed to agree with.”

 “Yes, but the idea is out there now, in their heads. Whether we acted convincingly enough in there or not…”

 “It’s hard to put an idea back in the bottle.”

 “Exactly.”

 The two sat in quiet for a long moment. Then Sarah looked the man up and down, taking in the white pirate shirt and red denim trousers, and asked, “What’s with the outfit?” She needed to think on something light.

 “Oh, this? I suppose they hadn’t found my clothes when they arrested me. They couldn’t have me in my underwear for the questioning and trial. Maybe they still haven’t found them.”

 Sarah couldn’t help the little laugh at the mental image. “So they put you in that?” She hummed in appreciation. “I request that you wear stuff like that more often.”

 The Doctor grinned widely. “If you like.”

 With the mood lifted somewhat, Sarah wondered a moment later, “So, what do we do?”

 “I keep working with the Castellan to prove my innocence and uncover the real assassin.”

 “And I just sit in here and hope no one hurts me?”

 “I’m sorry. I can’t do anything to get you out of here.”

 “No, no, it’s fine. You’re already on very thin ice, sounds like.”

 “They shouldn’t do anything to you, not without due process.”

 Sarah held back on retorting with sarcasm about the type of due process they were doing with him.

 “Whatever happens, I’ll do whatever I can to protect you.”

 Sarah looked to him with a sincere little smile. “I know.” She pulled him in close to press their foreheads together.

 Telepathically, they said in unison, ‘I love you.’

 They only had a few seconds like that before there was a loud knock on the door. “Time’s up, Doctor!”

 They separated as the door opened. The Doctor stood and said, “Thank you, Miss Smith, for what you told me. It could help.”

 “Whatever I can do to help find the truth,” Sarah responded.

 The cell door was closed and locked. Hildred informed, “Come, Doctor. We’re to meet the Castellan at the Panopticon.”

 “Lead on,” the Doctor prompted.


	14. Chapter 14

 After inspecting the Panopticon for evidence, and finding a body of a cameraman and then the murder of the news reporter helping them, the Doctor paced in the Records Room as the record-keeper Engin searched for possible leads on who could have done the assassinations.

 “Four cold-blooded murders in one day.” Spandrell shook his head. “How could this happen?”

 “Flea-bitings. Things will get a lot worse,” the Doctor replied.

 “Flea-bitings? You would disrespect King Llewellyn and Prince Ciaran so much to call their murders flea-bitings?” Spandrell sighed, “That would not look good for you.”

 “That was the beginning, not the end goal.”

 “How can assassinating the king not be the end goal? What else is there to do?”

 “I don’t know. Whatever whoever is doing this has planned next.” The Doctor blew out a breath and muttered, “This is starting to feel rather personal.”

 They discussed possibilities of the records being tampered with and how the Amplified Panatropic Computations of the Matrix could’ve been used for planting misleading evidence or outright erasing evidence.

 “Doctor, I simply cannot believe anyone can do what you’re suggesting. How can one intercept or create a thought pattern from within the Matrix itself?”

 “By going in there and joining it,” the prince answered matter-of-factly. He hummed in thought. “If I went in there, I could discover where and how it was done.”

 “I can’t allow that. It’s too dangerous,” Engin protested. “The psychosomatic feedback might kill you.”

 “It’s better than being executed, and that’s what’s in store for me if I don’t find the real assassin.” The Doctor tried not to think too much about what that could then mean for Sarah.

 “If you think that’s better, Doctor,” Spandrell responded. “Let him try.”

 Engin relented, and set to figuring out how to attempt this.

 An unpleasant possibility entered the Doctor’s mind, and he turned to Spandrell, and stepped in close to the man. “Before I do this, I want you to bring Miss Smith here.”

 “Here? Why?”

 “I don’t trust your guards,” the Doctor honestly answered.

 “Don’t trust-“

 “Just listen to me,” the Doctor nearly hissed. “Someone or multiple someones within your guards are doing things without your orders. I don’t trust her welfare in their care. She also might be able to help us.” He flashed a little smile. “It would simply make me feel better to know she’s in safer hands, namely ours, in case any of the people involved in this mess decide it’s time to do something to her.”

 “Did you not see her only a few hours ago?”

 “A lot has happened since then. Castellan, please. She was brought here for a reason, and we cannot risk harm coming to her.”

 “Very well, my prince. I will send Hildred immediately.”

 The Doctor shook his head. “No, not Hildred. You, Castellan. Right now, I trust only you with this. Please, will you do this for me?”

 Spandrell raised his brow, but nodded. “I’ll be back shortly.”

 “Try not to make it obvious what your intentions are. Thank you,” the Doctor sincerely said. After the Castellan left, he turned to Engin. “Anything I can help with?”

 ********

 Sarah was sitting on the cot, her knees drawn up to her chest and her forehead resting on them. She had been thinking of anything else at all to prevent her mind from going to what had happened to that other Lord and Human couple from fifty years ago. Which kept inevitably bringing her back to the assassination of the king and one of the princes, and what punishment the Lords had in mind for the Doctor.

 From her understanding Llewellyn and Ciaran had been well-loved and regarded by both the Lords and Commoners of Gallifrey. Of course they could have had political enemies, but any that would go to this action? Then there was still framing of the Doctor for it, and the missing Borusa. This felt like not a vendetta against one man, but all four of the royal family.

 Sarah’s head snapped up at the unlocking of the cell door. She tensed as it opened and a middle-aged man with a purple uniform robe came in.

 “Sarah Jane Smith, you are to accompany me for questioning.”

 “Questioning?” Sarah hesitantly stood. “For what?”

 “I am Castellan Spandrell. This will go a lot easier for you if you cooperate.”

 “That doesn’t answer my question,” Sarah pointed out. She didn’t trust this. How could she, with the way she had been found in San Martino, arrested, and told practically nothing about what was going on?

 “This is simply questioning. Nothing will happen to you,” Spandrell assured.

 Sarah didn’t have a choice, and slowly approached the man. She didn’t fuss when Spandrell held up the handcuffs, and extended her wrists in acceptance. Her brow furrowed in slight confusion at the quiet, “Sorry about these,” from him.

 “Do you need help, sir?” a guard asked as Sarah and Spandrell stepped out into the corridor.

 “I can manage. Continue your duties,” Spandrell ordered. He took Sarah by the upper arm, and escorted her out of the detention center. Once away from any prying ears, he whispered, “I’m not taking you for questioning. I’m taking you to a safe place, with the Doctor.”

 “You are?” Sarah whispered back.

 “Yes. He brings up a point I can’t afford to ignore.”

 Sarah bit back to retort that it was obvious that someone within his officers had to be acting without his permission. If he was truly an ally, it wouldn’t do to antagonize him.

 Sarah was still on edge, despite the verbal assurance from the Castellan. She wasn’t going to trust his word until she saw the Doctor herself.

 “The Records Room,” Spandrell informed as they came to the door. He undid the cuffs on Sarah’s wrists, then pressed his ID badge to the door to open it.  

 Sarah absentmindedly rubbed her wrists, even though the cuffs hadn’t been that uncomfortable. The door slid open, and bent over a computer console was the Doctor. Sarah’s mouth broke into a wide relieved smile.

 The Doctor looked up, and his smile matched hers. Sarah wasn’t sure how much else she was supposed to react, but that went out the window as the Doctor rushed to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Then he pulled back enough to look down at her face and move his hands up to her shoulders.

 “You’re alright? No one’s hurt you?”

 Sarah’s hands rested on the prince’s waist. “I’m fine. No one’s tried anything yet,” she answered.

 “Good, good…” the Doctor breathed. He lowered his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. Sarah relaxed into it and also closed her eyes.

 A moment later, Spandrell cleared his throat and asked, “That accusation is true?”

 The Doctor opened his eyes and pulled back from Sarah only a few inches, but didn’t move his gaze from hers. He took a breath, then answered, “Yes.”

 Sarah opened her mouth to ask why he would confirm that to the two other people in the room, but stopped at the assuring caress to her cheek. She realized it was a gesture of trust between him and the other two men, and to show that she could also trust them.

 The Doctor let out a long breath, then stated, “But the truth of our relationship is not the important thing right now.” He turned from Sarah to Spandrell and Engin. “What is the top priority is finding out who is doing this and why.”

 Engin nodded, and said, “It’s as ready as it can be. I still advise against it.”

 “What’s ready?” Sarah asked.

 “Whatever the plan is, which started with the assassination of Llewellyn, Ciaran, and possibly Borusa, has to do with the Matrix. I might be able to discover things if I go in,” the Doctor explained to the woman.

 “Go in? Go into a computer system?”

 “It’s more than that. It’s alive, in it’s own way.” The Doctor chastely kissed Sarah before he dropped his arms and led her over to the main console.

 Engin pressed a button, which made a cot slide out from under it. The Doctor sat on it.

 “It’s somehow dangerous,” Sarah stated. “He wouldn’t be concerned if it wasn’t.”

 “This is only done on the near-deceased or very recently deceased to scan and store their brain patterns,” Engin explained. “We were modifying it before you came in to hopefully allow a living mind to enter more safely.”

 “Doctor-“ Sarah started.

 “I know, Sarah.” The prince took her hand and raised it to his mouth. He stared into her hazel eyes. “What could happen to Gallifrey and possibly further if I don’t try this is far worse than what could happen to me.”

 “That serious, huh,” Sarah sighed.

 “This is no more a risk than others we’ve taken.”

 “I know…” Sarah stepped forward to hug the prince. She planted a kiss to the top of his head.

 Both were reluctant to let go, and they both reached that point in unison. Sarah stepped back, and the Doctor released her hand.

 “Engin?” the Doctor prompted.

 “Right, Doctor, lie down.”

 The Doctor did so, with his head almost touching the console. Engin attached electrodes to the prince’s temples. “There might be some pain,” he warned.

 “I’m ready when you are.” The Doctor turned his head to look past Engin to Sarah, and flashed a grin to her.

 “Are you quite sure?”

 “Get on with it.”

 Sarah clasped her hands together and grimaced as the Doctor’s eyes squeezed closed and his body stiffened. A little cry escaped his mouth before he fell quiet and his body slackened.

 “You might want to take a seat, Miss Smith,” Spandrell invited. He found a chair and pulled it up next to her. “Who knows how long this’ll take.”

 “Thanks,” Sarah replied quietly. She lowered herself into the chair, and anxiously brought her hands up to her mouth as she watched the Doctor’s now still body.


	15. Chapter 15

 Sarah, Spandrell, and Engin sat there and stared at the Doctor for a minute. Engin glanced over to the nearby console screen, which showed the Doctor’s vital signs.

 “It’s stopped!” Engin gasped.

 “What?” Sarah and Spandrell asked in unison.

 “Brain activity. Look, there’s nothing.”

 Sarah rushed to the Doctor’s side, and shook her head in denial as Spandrell asked if the Doctor was dead.

 “Virtually,” Engin answered. He winced. “I warned him of the psychic shock of that environment.”

 Sarah hovered over him, and placed her hands on the Doctor’s chest. She felt a relief at the up and down motion of his torso. “He’s breathing.” She stared down at his sweat-dampened face, hoping to see some other sign of life.

 “Motor functions will continue for some time. Oh, my prince…  He’s back!”

 Sarah’s gaze snapped to the screen, though she wasn’t sure which thing to look at.

 “His brain must have an unusually high level of artron energy,” Engin mused.

 “What do you think happened in there?” Spandrell asked.

 “I don’t know. There’s no real way for us to know until he comes out of it.”

 “Doctor, don’t do that,” Sarah scolded the unconscious man. She bent over close. “I’m here. Whatever’s going on in there, you’ll make it through. Don’t leave me, please.” She flinched at the hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Engin’s face.

 “We best not do anything to disturb him, Miss Smith,” the old man suggested.

 Sarah reluctantly nodded, then straightened and took her hands from the Doctor. She sat back in her chair and rubbed her hand over her face. “Don’t scare me like that again,” she whispered to the man she loved.

 A long tense moment later, she asked, “Are you sure there’s nothing else we can do for him? Make it easier on him?”

 “I’ve done all I can think of,” Engin answered. “And so did he when we modified this system.”

 Sarah snorted lightly. “Maybe he didn’t think about himself all that much earlier. He has a habit of forgetting or not caring about his own wellbeing when in situations like this.” She added with a note of fondness, “A rather unfortunate habit.”

 “Do you think he’s right, in that there is more to this than the assassinations?” Spandrell inquired.

 “If he says there is, he’s probably right,” Sarah answered with confidence. “Whatever it is, he’ll find it.” She sighed as she noticed the Doctor’s hand twitch slightly. “I just wish he didn’t have to do that alone in there.”

 A few minutes later, Spandrell glanced at the vital signs, and noted, “His respiration has increased.”

 “That’s an adrenaline response,” Engin responded. “And there’s a massive blood sugar demand. That would suggest he’s either preparing to run for his life, or fight for his life.”

 “Don’t give me more to worry about, Doctor,” Sarah muttered. She wanted to touch him again, but held herself back, not wanting to disturb him and possibly risk his life more. She sat on her hands to remove the temptation.

 Sarah looked up a few minutes later when the door opened. It was a guard, but something about him looked off.

 “Yes?” Spandrell greeted.

 “Message from the Chancellor, sir. He’d like the Doctor brought to him.”

 Sarah didn’t like that, but didn’t say anything, knowing she shouldn’t draw attention to herself.

 “Solis, isn’t it?” Spandrell asked. At the nod from the guard, he explained, “One of the Chancellor’s personal guard.”

 “Very well,” Engin said. “You’ll have to wait. It’ll be over soon, one way or another.”

 Sarah stayed quiet, though she wished she could’ve told Engin to have more faith in the Doctor. But the man’s answer to Spandrell’s question of how long the Doctor could survive in the Matrix made her chest tighten.

 “I’ve no data available, but his body is on the point of collapse now. Low blood pressure, shallow respiration, carbon dioxide increasing… He can’t last much longer.”

 Sarah squeezed her hands between her thighs to stop from rushing to the Doctor’s side. He would make it through and come back. He would. He’d been through these types of odds before, and come through with that mad grin and glint in his eyes.

 “It’s only a mental battle,” Spandrell pointed out. “If the Doctor’s losing, why can’t he just pull out?”

 “It’s not that simple. His adversary must’ve been in the Matrix many times before. Hey, don’t touch that!”

 Sarah quickly turned at Engin’s shout to see the guard back away from the main computer console. She kept her attention on the guard, definitely not liking his presence now.

 “He’s created a mental stronghold,” Engin continued. “A dreamscape, if you like. The Doctor’s got caught up in it.”

 Sarah half-tuned the rest of the conversation out, not wanting to really hear how bad the Doctor’s chances of survival were.

 The guard reached for the console controls again, and Sarah shot up to her feet. “Get away!” she demanded, shoving him back. He reached around her to the controls. Sarah grabbed his arm, and barely managed to duck the incoming blow to her head from his other hand.

 Then the guard cried out and clutched at his stomach before he fell backwards. He was out, unconscious or dead, Sarah didn’t know. She whipped her head back to see Spandrell aiming a gun where the guard had been.

 Sarah swallowed heavily. She swore she could feel a slight heat from the energy on her side as it had passed her. “Good shot.”

 “It would be terrible if anything preventable were to happen to the Doctor, or you, now.” The Castellan’s mouth twitched upwards in a brief smile. Then he frowned and glanced between Sarah and Engin. “Now I certainly have proof of that.” He then clarified to them, “He’s only stunned.” He contacted Hildred and ordered him to come and remove the unconscious guard to the detention center for later questioning.

 Sarah sat on the edge of the cot, and clasped her hands together to again stop herself from touching him. She stared down at him, noticing his skin was paler than before. “Come on, Doctor,” she urged.  

 Only a moment after Hildred removed the unconscious guard, the console connected to the Doctor by the electrodes began to smoke. Sarah couldn’t stop herself from grabbing the prince’s hand now.

 “The circuits!” Engin cried in alarm, going to the console.

 “No, you can’t,” Spandrell stopped him.

 Sarah kept her attention on the Doctor, and was relieved that Engin quickly saw sense. Then, she only had to wait a few seconds for the man below her to take a deep shuddering breath. “He’s waking up!”

 The Doctor coughed. “Do you mind? This is a non-smoking compartment.”

 “What?” Spandrell and Engin asked in unison.

 Sarah shook her head with a warm smile as the Doctor’s eyes opened and he lifted his head slightly. “Not the strangest thing he’s said upon waking up.” She held his hand up to her mouth, so very grateful to see those intense blue eyes again.

 “How do you feel, Doctor?” asked Spandrell.

 “Tired.” The Doctor relaxed fully again. “Sarah?”

 “I’m still here and perfectly fine,” Sarah assured.

 The Doctor pulled her closer down to him and raised his hands to hold her face and side of her neck, and smiled softly. “Good.”

 “You’d better rest,” Spandrell suggested. “You took quite a beating in there.”

 “You should see the other fellow.” The Doctor let go of Sarah to push himself up to a sitting position. “Where is he, by the way?”

 “Who?” Spandrell needed to hear the name again.

 “Goth.”

 “Chancellor Goth?”

 “Yes, he’s the assassin.”

 “That would explain why he wanted a quick trial and sentencing.”

 “Exactly.” The Doctor moved to stand, and staggered against Sarah.

 “Steady on,” Sarah advised, struggling to keep him standing straight.

 “If he’s got a way into the Matrix, I could try to trace it,” Engin suggested.

 “And I’ll send my people out to find him, with or without the trace,” Spandrell said.

 “Good, sounds like a plan.” The prince gave up on standing and sat down on the cot. Sarah sat next to him and slid her arm around his back. “Just give me a moment, I nearly literally had my brain fried.”

 Sarah sighed and said to the other two men, “Remember what I said about his unfortunate habit?” She turned back to him and said, “Let them handle it from here, at least for the moment?” When he turned to her, she asked, “When did you last sleep?”

 The Doctor shook his head. “I don’t think I can sleep right now.”

 “Not what I asked.”

 “The night before I left you in San Martino.”

 “Of course,” Sarah sighed. “And you’re not tired enough to sleep now?”

 The Doctor shrugged. “Don’t think I can afford to right now. Have to be on our guard.”

 Sarah realized it wasn’t worth trying to argue the point. “Alright, you don’t have to sleep. But just… rest, yeah? Nothing you can do right now anyway.”

 The Doctor took a deep breath, then smiled at the woman. “Alright.” He kissed her temple. “Mind if I…?”

 Sarah scooted back for more room. “Sure.” It took some more adjusting until the Doctor was comfortably lying on his side with his head pillowed on her lap. Sarah stared down at him as her fingers soothingly carded through his sweat-dampened wild curls.


	16. Chapter 16

 “I still can’t believe its Chancellor Goth,” Engin muttered a few minutes later, still working on tracing the other way into the Matrix.

 “He’s not acting alone,” the Doctor said quietly, not bothering to open his eyes. “I think someone is pulling his strings.”

 “What a puppet he is, then,” Sarah remarked.

 “Quite the choice,” the Doctor agreed.

 “We’ll have to come up with what we’re going to do with him when we catch him,” Spandrell stated. “How to best bring any evidence forward, get him to confess to his crimes…”

 “Treat him like everyone else,” Sarah replied.

 “Perhaps he could do with a bit of the treatment he gave me,” the Doctor suggested. “I wouldn’t go so far as immediate execution, but-“

 “Immediate execution?” Sarah echoed, her voice high with shock. She took a moment to process it. “You can’t be serious.” At the tired shrug from the man, she let out a small snort of frustration.

 “It’s highly unlikely to happen now.” The Doctor rubbed the side of his head against the woman’s thigh.

 Sarah couldn’t believe how unconcerned he was about that. “Maybe not, but still…” They were willing to execute one of the princes so quickly? Even with the severity of the crime he had been accused of… She shuddered, and tried not to think about it any further.

 Everyone’s attention instantly snapped to the door as it slid open. Hildred ushered the person with him in first, a man wearing a hoodie, sunglasses, and a cough mask. As soon as the door slid closed behind them, the man removed the items covering his face and asked, “Would someone please tell me what’s going on?”

 “Borusa!”

 The oldest prince, eight years older than the Doctor, pushed his hood back and ran a hand over his face. He looked so tired, and his attempts to hide his grief at the news he had inevitably heard showed through in cracks. One arm hung stiffly against his side. “Llewellyn and Ciaran?” he asked, his voice faltering.

 “Sadly, yes, my prince,” Spandrell affirmed.

 Borusa sank down into the chair Sarah had occupied.

 The Doctor stood and went to him. “Are you alright?”

 Borusa looked up. “I heard you were a suspect in the… I doubt that’s true.”

 The Doctor flashed a smile of appreciation, then said, “That didn’t answer the question.” He knelt in front of the other prince.

 “I’m… considering everything else, I’m alright.”  

 “What happened?” Engin inquired. “You’ve been listed as missing.”

 Borusa took a deep breath. “One of my bodyguards took a shot at me in my hotel room.” He moved his stiff arm forward slightly. “I barely got out of there, and didn’t know who to trust. So, I… I made my way back here as discreetly as I could manage. I thought that was the better course of action.”

 The Doctor rose and gently took Borusa’s arm. Borusa shook his head, though still half-smiled in appreciation at the concern. “It’s been patched up. I’ll get a proper doctor to look at it after we solve all this.” When the Doctor let go, he looked to Sarah, “We haven’t been introduced.”

 “Sarah Jane Smith,” Sarah answered, bowing her head to the man.

 Borusa slightly bowed his head in response, then refocused on the situation. “Hildred is the only one who knows I’m here.”

 “That’s very good,” the Doctor replied. “Right now, I think the minute you show your face to anyone else, both of us would be dead men.”

 “I’m inclined to believe you.” Borusa took a few breaths. “Where are we in… what’s going on?”

 “I’m proving my innocence, and in the process, discovered the real assassin,” the Doctor answered. “Chancellor Goth.”

 “Chancellor Goth?” Borusa echoed.

 “We’re looking for him now,” Spandrell said.

 “He’s never…” Borusa’s brow furrowed and he needed a long moment of silence. “Goth has never shown any sign of opposition to Llewellyn that could result in this.”

 “Either everyone’s misjudged him, or something happened to influence him,” the Doctor pointed out. “Perhaps both.”

 “I’ve traced the physical location,” Engin announced. He told them the place, and the Doctor, Sarah, and Spandrell stood to go.

 “Stay here, Borusa,” the Doctor suggested as the other prince started to rise from his chair. “We can’t risk anything happening to you.”

 “Engin, you should also stay here. Hildred, do not leave them.” Spandrell ordered.

 “Yes, sir.”

 Borusa grabbed the Doctor’s arm as he turned to leave. “What about you? It’s still dangerous, isn’t it? Do you consider yourself expendable?”

 The Doctor simply grinned and broke away. He took Sarah’s hand as they hurried out.

 It didn’t take them long to get to the room in the underground levels of Panopticon that Engin had directed them to. They stopped at the sight of the completely still cloaked figure in the chair, and a man laying on a cot with a red helmet beside his head.

 The Doctor went for the cloaked figure, and lifted the hood. “Koschei?” he breathed at the severely burned and scarred face.

 “You know him?” Sarah asked in a hushed tone, feeling unsettled by the atmosphere of the room. The man in question looked dead, his brown eyes wide and body stiff.

 “I knew him at the Academy.” The prince breathed deeply. “That other boy I told you about. The one I was with for a time.”

 “What?” Sarah looked between the Doctor and the dead man. This was him? Sarah supposed he must’ve been different back then, certainly not one who would arrange the deaths of the royal family like this. But maybe the Doctor had sensed something dangerous about him, and that had been why he had broken their relationship off. Or maybe something very bad had happened to make him do this. Whatever it was, they had definitely followed different paths.

 “What happened to you, Koschei?” the Doctor whispered.

 “The Chancellor is still alive,” Spandrell informed. “Don’t think he’ll be for long.”

 The Doctor and Sarah moved on from Koschei to Goth. The Doctor leaned in close over the struggling man.

 “So, Doctor, you beat us, in the end,” Goth stated with a gasping breath.

 “Goth, why all this?”

 “Wanted power… to be King.”

 The Doctor snorted in disgust and shook his head. “Of course. Greed and power.”

 “So, you killed the king and Prince Ciaran?” Spandrell asked.

 “For him, Koschei. His plan.”

 “What was his plan?” Sarah asked first.

 “Met him in Portugal. He was dying. Promised me so much if I brought him back to Gallifrey.”

 “His plan, Goth. What was it?” the Doctor impatiently demanded.

 “Couldn’t fight his mental dominance. Did everything he asked…” Goth shuddered, and breathed once more. “Sorry…”

 “Goth, what was-“

 “It’s no use, Doctor,” Spandrell stated as the Chancellor’s eyes closed and body slackened.

 The Doctor growled in frustration. “No answer to a straight question. Typical politician.” He turned away, found himself facing Koschei, and turned again to stare at a wall.

 “So… is it over?” Sarah asked him, going to his side and slipping her hand in his.

 The Doctor didn’t answer, though he did squeeze her hand in response. Sarah leaned into him, resting the side of her head against his upper arm. They stood in solemn quiet.

 When a group of guards had come in, Spandrell said, “Come on, let’s allow them to take care of this.”

 ********

 Back in the Records Room, everyone mused on everything that had happened.

 “Koschei couldn’t have picked a better co-conspirator,” Barusa sighed.

 “One with his own ambitions that he could fulfill,” the Doctor nodded.

 “Who would be next in line for the crown with the royal family disposed of,” Spandrell added.

 “But, why frame you, Doctor?” Borusa inquired. “Why not take you out the same way as the rest of us?”

 It took a moment of everyone thinking on that point before Sarah deduced, “Not only as a scapegoat, but if Koschei wanted to make this personal, it would humiliate and turn you into the villain before you were killed. You've done a lot of good in the world, even though most people will never know it. To make you known for this instead of those things...” She paused for a moment as another thought came to her. “Goth was the best choice for him for another reason. The word of the highly respected Chancellor against the wild prince? The Doctor wouldn’t stand a chance in a trial. Thank goodness we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

Even with the two conspirators dead, the Doctor advised Borusa to wait in showing he was alive and well. “There might be more,” the Doctor warned. “Some of the guards were compromised. We can’t take a chance until we know which ones and have them detained.” He tilted his head and frowned.

 Sarah could tell he was thinking about something else now. “What’s the matter?”

 The Doctor didn’t answer, and the older prince sighed. “Castellan, Hildred, take me to the Chancellor’s office? Perhaps we can find more evidence of this conspiracy there. We’ll also need to do something about our security.” He tapped the Doctor on the shoulder and said, “You stay here and help Engin create a new biog for Koschei.”

 The Doctor didn’t show any sign that he’d heard, and Borusa shook his head and put on his cough mask, sunglasses, and hood before leaving with Spandrell and Hildred.

 Engin went over to the computer to access the biog files. “How do you spell his name?”

 Sarah shook the Doctor slightly to get his attention. “Yes?” he replied, snapping out of his thoughts.

 “Koschei,” Engin prompted. “How do you spell that?”

 “Oh, yes.” The Doctor then answered.

 “What about his character?”

 “Bad.”

 Sarah laughed lightly in amusement.

 “Oh, Doctor, would you please be a little more specific?”

 “I haven’t seen him in several years. Before that we bumped into each other from time to time, but… Koschei was very cunning and resourceful. Highly developed powers of ESP and a formidable hypnotist. Quite ambitious, not the type to let things get in his way.” The Doctor sank down in a chair and blew out a short breath. “And the more I think about it, the less likely it seems.”

 “What?” Sarah asked first. Engin echoed her.

 “That Koschei would accept the end of his life. It’s not his style at all.”

 “But, that’s something we all must accept,” Engin said.

 “Not Koschei, not if he had something he wanted to do, which he clearly did. He had a plan. It’s why he came here.”

 “Nothing will cheat death as you suggest, my prince.”

 “No… he had a plan. Something that involved Goth becoming King.”

 “Other than the obvious, what’s so special about being King?” Sarah asked.

 Engin shrugged. “Other than ruling the nation, and holding the symbols of office, he’s no different from any other Lord.”

 “The symbols…” the Doctor brought his hands up to his mouth. “The Sash, the Key…”

 “What about them?” Sarah asked.

 “Relics from the old time. The Time Lords have the originals, but the ones who left to settle here were given imitations that had fragments of those originals,” Engin explained.

 “Rassilon… tell me about Rassilon,” the Doctor prompted.

 “It’s all in the book of the old time. There’s a modern translation that’s more easy to understand in the records.”

 “Could we hear it?”

 “Now?”

 The Doctor suddenly straightened. “Oh!”

 “What is it?” Sarah and Engin asked in unison.

 The prince grinned. “I can feel my hair curling, and that means either it’s going to rain or I’m on to something.”

 “You can’t feel when it’s about to rain,” Sarah teased.

 The Doctor took her hands and returned the teasing expression. “Then it must be the second.”


	17. Chapter 17

 “You really should know at least some of this,” Engin chastised at a break in the audio recording. “Within your royal training and education.”

 Sarah laughed lightly, and the Doctor simply shrugged and replied, “I had better things to think about during much of those lessons.”

 A minute later, the Doctor told Engin to stop the recording so they could think on what they’d heard so far. The prince took a breath, then stated, “The Great Key… and the Sash… What did the originals do?”

 “We don’t know about the practical function of the original Key, but the original Sash is meant to have a protective quality,” Engin answered.

 “So, if we can assume our versions were meant to retain some of the original purposes…”

 “But, if you don’t know what the Key did, that doesn’t really help us,” Sarah pointed out. “Besides, with Koschei dead, does it really matter what he was trying to do?”

 “The ‘why’ does matter, Sarah. At the very least, for the people to know the reason for the murder of a good king and beloved prince.”

 Sarah nodded, then asked with a slight teasing tone, “And is it personal curiousity?”

 “Some of that, too,” the Doctor admitted. “Engin, the Key is held in the Panopticon, yes?”

 “For use in some ceremonial occasions,” Engin added. “Right now, the Sash will be used in the funeral and coronation of the new leader.”

 “Yes, I know that,” the Doctor said with impatience. “What I need- Of course!”

 “Of course what?” Sarah asked when the Doctor didn’t immediately continue.

 “What a stupendous egotist. Koschei would’ve destroyed Gallifrey, the Lords, everything, just for his own survival.”

 “Mind telling the class? Or are you talking to yourself again?” Sarah prompted. “We’ve missed a few steps in your thinking.”

 The Doctor opened his mouth, but Spandrell hurried in with a hypodermic needle in hand.

 “It seems Koschei didn’t die of natural causes,” Spandrell said as he handed the needle to the prince. “He killed himself with poison. Be careful.”

 The Doctor examined the needle and leftover fluid inside for a moment, using smell and appearance to conclude, “Tricophenyladehyde.”

 “Show-off,” Sarah affectionately muttered.

 “Deadly, no doubt,” Spandrell nodded.

 “It’s not,” the Doctor stated. “It’s a neural inhibitor.” He stared at the needle. “We’ve all been fooled.”

 “What?” all three other people said in disbelief.

 “Koschei, he’s still alive.”

 Spandrell paled. “I have one of my men guarding his body.”

 “Where’s Borusa?” the Doctor asked, spinning towards the door.

 “With Hildred, in the Chancellor’s office,” Spandrell answered.

 “Tell Hildred to make certain they are well secured in there, and not let anyone other than us in,” the prince commanded. “Then lead us to where Koschei’s body is being kept.”

 Less than a minute later, the four of them were hurrying to the Panopticon vault. The Doctor burst in first, and stopped at the body of a guard on the floor. Spandrell hurried to him. Nearby, there were a few tables, three with linen-covered bodies on them.

 The Doctor approached them, slowly, and lifted the linen on one. Very quietly and reverently, he whispered, “Ciaran.” He glanced to Sarah when he felt her hand gently slip into his. He was grateful that she didn’t say anything as he leaned over close to the other prince’s face and closed his eyes.

 Sarah knew her physical presence, her hand in his slightly cooler one, was all the Doctor needed right now. Words wouldn’t do much to comfort him or console him in this quiet mourning of the second prince. She heard the Doctor’s voice, low and barely audible, saying words no one else was meant to hear.

 “I didn’t think you’d be so… sentimental over them, Doctor.” The unexpected voice sounded strained and rasping. Still, it was obvious at one time there had been a pleasant and charismatic tone to it.

 The Doctor immediately straightened and pulled Sarah behind him as Koschei stepped from the shadows. Spandrell drew his gun.

 “Although…” Koschei continued, his eyes fluttering over what he could see of Sarah trying to peer around the prince. “Considering the company you keep these days…” He refocused his attention to the Doctor. “Your execution won’t be delayed much longer.” He chuckled in Spandrell’s direction, “Castellan, I assure you I’m not as infirm as I look.” He stared at Engin. “Now you, bring me the Sash of Rassilon.”

 Koschei laughed as he moved his gaze to the Doctor again. “Oh yes, my prince,” he said the title with a venom dripping from his voice. “Why else do you think I feigned death? When Goth failed me, it was necessary to enact more direct means. But, the Sash is wasted on a dead king, don’t you think?” His scarred face twisted in a sneer. “Bring it to me!”  

 “Don’t do it, Engin,” the Doctor warned.

 “A stupid remark, Doctor. To resist me now-“

 “What happened, Koschei?” the Doctor interrupted. “When I last saw you, you were up to no good, but-“

 “Oh please, let’s not go into all that. There’s no point trying to appeal to it.”

 Spandrell moved forward, and was quickly shot down by Koschei with a flash of white light. Sarah and Engin visibly flinched, but the Doctor barely reacted and stood his ground.

 “Why have you brought me here, Koschei? I at least deserve an explanation for that.” The Doctor didn’t mention Sarah in his question, not wanting to bring her to his attention any more than she already was.

 “As a scapegoat for killing the king, of course. Who else would I give that honor to but you? So despicably good, so insufferably compassionate. I wanted you to die in shame and disgrace, and bring that to your royal family. Imagine, the wayward and untamed prince-”

 The Doctor stepped forward, and cried out at the intense flash of white light. He hit the floor a second later. Sarah dropped down to her knees at his side and immediately felt for a pulse. “Doctor?” She let out a relieved breath when she felt his heartsbeat. Then she instantly began to worry that this would kill him slowly, and she brushed his hair back from his forehead to look for any obvious signs of damage or pain. 

 “Now, do as I say, and hand over the Sash,” Koschei demanded.

 “Engin, no,” Sarah said, but she didn’t turn her attention from the Doctor, taking his hand and rubbing it between both of hers. She heard Engin shuffling around and handing something over, rather than seeing it.

 “They’re not dead, only stunned. They’ll live long enough to see the end.”

 Sarah didn’t have a chance to question the second statement before she cried out in pain as a hand seized her hair and yanked her up to her feet. She turned around to fight Koschei off, and practically froze at being so close to his face. His brown eyes, framed by strands of black hair, light-tan skin, and dark scar tissue, seemed to pierce into hers. She barely noticed the golden segmented sash over his shoulder.

 “You… so precious to him… You, my dear, will come with me.”

 His voice broke the spell enough for Sarah to try to fight back again, and Koschei grabbed one of her wrists with his other hand. He twisted it, and Sarah yelped. With her free hand, she tried grasping and hitting at the rough hand in her hair. He yanked her head sideways and elbowed her in the face at the same time, which stunned her enough to stop fighting.

 Engin moved to step in, but Koschei kicked him away with enough force to knock him to the ground.

 “Doctor!” Sarah called out as Koschei dragged her out the door. “Doctor, wake up, please!” She tried hitting Koschei again. “Let me go! Doctor!”


	18. Chapter 18

 The Doctor stirred with a groan. He shook his head and sat up. “Where’s the Sas-“ He immediately noticed someone was missing. “Where’s Sarah?”

 “They’re gone,” Engin answered, fretting with his hands. “I’m sorry.”

 “What?” The Doctor stood, and pulled the wakening Spandrell up with him.

 “What could I do? He’s stronger and-“

 “Never mind excuses. What matters is getting them both back.”

 “What can he do with the Sash?” Spandrell asked.

 The Doctor huffed impatiently, and hurried to the door. He grunted in frustration when it didn’t open at his presence. “The Sash is a technological marvel, which would make the original a masterpiece. It protects the wearer, not from earthly means of harm, but more cosmological ones.” He tried the control panel next to the door, to no avail. “All he needs is the Key and he can regenerate himself a new body, and in the process release a force that would kill a lot of people, mostly us Lords and surely a sizable number of Commoners.”

 “You really mean that?” Engin asked.

 “I wouldn’t say it otherwise,” the prince snapped. He let out a growly hiss at the lack of cooperation from the door, and stalked back to the middle of the room. “You know what Rassilon did? The Eye of Harmony? We have a version of that too, don’t we?”

 “It’s a myth,” Spandrell replied.

 “It’s not a myth. All the power of the Timelords comes from it. Even though we’ve lost some of what our ancestors had, we still must have something like it. Ours won’t be as powerful as the original, which is very good indeed for the world. But we still have to stop Koschei from activating it.” The Doctor went to try the door again. “And get Sarah from his clutches.”

 ********

 Sarah had stopped struggling as Koschei pulled her along. In addition to him simply being stronger than her, despite his appearance, she realized the value of being with him. If he had left her with the Doctor, they would both be locked in the vault. But with Koschei she could try to stop him herself, or at least hopefully stall him long enough for the Doctor to escape and find them. So far, she’d been cooperative enough that he had let go of her hair.

 They’d been hurrying along the corridors for a few minutes before Koschei stopped and held Sarah against a wall. Was he tired? Maybe Sarah could stall him here longer. Sarah didn’t back down, and tried not to flinch as he closed the distance between them. Again, she found herself staring into his eyes.

 “What are you?” he asked. “That he would risk everything to be with you?”

 “It’s called love, maybe you’ve heard of it?” Sarah shot back.

 “I did, once. I decided I don’t need it.” Koschei started pulling Sarah along after him again by the wrist.

 Sarah didn’t let that be the end of the conversation. Anything she could do to distract him… “When you were with the Doctor, you mean? Back in your Academy days?”

 Koschei chuckled. “Oh, yes. So much potential… what we could’ve been, could’ve achieved together… Especially with him as a prince… but even if he wasn’t, we could have done so much together.”

 “But he broke it off. Can’t say I don’t see why. Appeals to world domination aren’t quite his style.”

 “Yes, that was part of the problem. So good and righteous. Blind to what we could be and do. Which was further demonstrated when I discovered he’s with you.”

 Sarah set her jaw, even though Koschei wasn’t looking at her.

 “A Commoner, a Human, someone so beneath him. And yet, he risks it all for you.” Koschei shook his head. “Foolish.”

 Sarah let the insult go past. “And how did you find out about us?”

 “I have my ways,” Koschei dismissed. “Ah, here we are.”

 They entered an atrium off the Panopticon, and approached a display case containing a black rod with blue lines adorning it. He smashed the case with a few fist strikes. “The Great Key,” he whispered as he picked it up.

 Koschei turned to Sarah. “Perhaps now, I would prefer him to survive what’s to come. Have him at my side afterwards.” He chuckled and sighed, “Even if it is on a leash.”

 “He would never work with you.”

 “Perhaps not, unless I kept you around to make him behave.”

 Sarah bit down on her bottom lip at the idea. The Doctor, on a leash at Koschei’s side as he did his evil plans, and her being used as a hostage… “He still wouldn’t-“

 “If he survives, we’ll see when I take my hold of Gallifrey.”

 Koschei yanked her towards the stage, where the king had been assassinated. Then he considered her for a moment. “I don’t think this will work with you interfering.”

 “What? No, wait don’t-“ Within a moment, Sarah found herself handcuffed by one wrist to a nearby support rail. She reached out, hoping to grab either the Sash or the Key as the Master left her. Her thumb and index fingers closed over the Sash for a second, and she shouted, “No! Don’t do it!”

 She could do nothing but watch as Koschei put on the Sash and began to insert the key into the floor.

 ********

 “It’s no good,” Engin said after they tried forcing the door yet again. “We can never move it.”

 “You’re right,” the Doctor admitted. “But we have got to get out of here.” He glanced around, and noticed a sloping shaft set into a wall. He hurried over and looked up it. “There’s light up there. Where does this lead?”

 Spandrell thought for a few seconds. “It’s an old service shaft. To the Panopticon, I think.”

 “Right.” The Doctor took a deep breath to prepare himself for the climb.

 “It’s a long way up,” Engin pointed out.

 “Oh, come on, give us a bunk up,” the Doctor prompted. With the help of the other two men, the prince made it up the smooth slope and into the shaft proper.

 His shoes didn’t have much traction on the smooth surface, and he had to readjust several times before he started to ascend.

 He’d only made it a couple meters up when he felt the shaft shake around him. He looked up, then quickly bowed his head to protect it from a chunk of sizeable debris. He winced as it struck his shoulder and nearly made him completely loose his already-precarious hold against the walls.

 The prince gritted his teeth, and looked back up the shaft. “Keep going, Doctor. Keep going.”

 ********

 “Koschei, please stop this!” Sarah shouted. She flinched as something fell from above and landed heavily at her feet. “You don’t have to do this! You’ve already killed three of the royal family and have one in disgrace and locked up downstairs! You can already take control of Gallifrey!”

 “And what good does that do me if I’m not alive to seize that control?” Koschei retorted. He pulled two pipes from the giant purplish glowing ten-foot-tall crystal structure that had emerged from the floor. “This has worked out all rather well. Three birds with one stone.” He pulled out the third pipe. “After today, I shall be known as the Master!”

 “A fitting title, for your ego.”

 “Doctor!” Sarah exclaimed, pulling on the cuffs again at the sight of the prince emerging from a shaft.

 Koschei spun around, and smiled. “Doctor, my congratulations. You’re just in time for the grand ending.”

 The Doctor sidestepped towards Sarah. “You’re insane, Koschei, insane, you hear me? What you’re doing-“

 “I’m not going to throw away my ambitions like you did. You and your Human… I think I will keep you.”

 Under guise of patting Sarah’s hand to comfort her, the Doctor pressed a bit of stiff wire into her palm. Then he made it way towards Koschei. “If you undo that, you’ll die.”

 Koschei laughed. “Come on, you can do better than that. I wear the Sash of Rassilon.”

 “Yes, and the King was wearing it when he was shot down. The Sash won’t protect you. It’s damaged.”

 “You lie!”

 The Doctor pounced on Koschei, and replaced one of the pipes. Koschei quickly got to his feet and tackled the prince away.

 Sarah frantically worked the wire into the lock of the handcuffs. “Come on, come on…” she urged. She looked away to the fighting pair for a second, which only made her more urgent to escape. The task would’ve been hard enough under normal circumstances, but while the room was shaking and crumbling around her?

 Finally, it clicked, and Sarah wrenched her wrist from the cuffs. The Doctor and Koschei were fighting at the top of a set of stairs. “Reconnect the pipes!” the Doctor instructed before he blocked a blow from the other man.

 Sarah hurried to the crystal and grabbed one of the disconnected pipes.

 “No, you stupid-“ Koschei turned to run back down the stairs. The Doctor grabbed him around the waist and hurled him towards a wall. Koschei recovered quickly, and tackled the prince, resulting in them both tumbling down the stairs together.

 Sarah replaced the second pipe, and had just grabbed the third when a hand grabbed her ankle and pulled back. She barely got her hands up in time to protect her face as she fell painfully on her front. She blindly kicked out behind her, and heard a yelp in response. But the hand didn’t release, and dragged her a couple inches back.

 The hand let go and Sarah curled up as the two men nearly rolled over her. She quickly got back up and plugged the last pipe back in. She heard a scream- not the Doctor’s- as she dodged another piece of falling debris and held tightly onto the crystal.

 It took several seconds for everything to stabilize, and the room finally stopped shaking around her. Sarah turned to the Doctor, lying on the floor surrounded by debris, and hurried to him as he uncurled his body.

 “I’m alright,” he breathed before she could ask.

 Sarah nodded, and noticed someone missing. “Koschei?”

 The Doctor sat up and simply pointed to a split in the floor. Sarah quietly sat next to him.

 They leaned against each other, Sarah’s head on the Doctor’s shoulder, and his head resting on hers, and breathed deeply in unison.


	19. Chapter 19

 The Doctor relaxed back in the plush chair in the Chancellor’s office, watching as Borusa stared at the Sash and Key on the desk. Sarah sat in a more modest chair meant for visitors, while Spandrell and Engin stood on either side of them.

 Borusa stopped himself from rubbing at his wounded arm, and turned to the other prince. “Half the citadel in ruins, several major injuries, possibly a few deaths. Not to mention Llewellyn and Ciaran…”

 “It could have been much worse,” Engin pointed out.

 Borusa nodded. “I know. It’s just… I never thought something like this…” He flashed a half-smile. “Thankfully, you were here, Doctor.”

 “I seem to have a knack for that,” the Doctor said, unable to hide the tiredness in his voice.

 “What will we say?” Borusa mused.

 “Adjust the truth, if you want,” the Doctor said lightly. “What about subsidence owing to a plague of mice?”

 “As I believe I’ve told you several times, you will never amount to anything while you retain your propensity for vulgar facetiousness.” There was an underlying affection to the older prince’s words.

 “Yes, you have,” the Doctor grinned. Then he said, “I would prefer you kept my involvement to a minimum in whatever you do say about all this.”

 “If that’s what you want, I can do that.”

Then the Doctor frowned and quietly looked down for a moment. He looked back up to Borusa, and said, “There is only one thing I would ask of you, my king.”

 Borusa grimaced. “Don’t call me that, not yet. I haven’t been crowned.”

 The Doctor didn’t correct himself, and reached out sideways to Sarah. Sarah hesitated before taking his hand and standing at his side. The Doctor sighed, “Might as well get this out of the way now.”  He took a breath, and asked, “If there is a price to pay for our relationship, a punishment for it… let me take it completely. Spare her any of it.”

 Sarah whipped around to the Doctor. “What? Doctor-“

 The Doctor sharply shook his head. “Please, Sarah.”

 Sarah reluctantly fell quiet, knowing there was no point in arguing this with him. She’d always known that if it came down to it, he would try to take the full brunt of being discovered by the Lords.

 The Doctor continued, “Don’t let her come to harm over this. I’ll take full responsibility and full consequences.”

 Borusa cleared his throat. “Yes, I… I noticed you two. And I have spared a thought to it. Who else knows?”

 “Only the people in this room,” the Doctor answered. “Everyone in the courtroom can only suspect, since that whole thing was a set-up.”

 Borusa thought for what felt to the Doctor and Sarah like an eternally long time, though in reality was only a few seconds. “In light of very recent circumstances, and your part- both of your parts- in saving Gallifrey, certain… indiscretions can be overlooked.”

 The Doctor and Sarah slowly looked to each other, then back at the older man.

 Borusa quickly added, “I only ask that you not… flaunt it around here.”

 Sarah broke into a relieved smile. “Oh, don’t worry about that. We never wanted any attention anyway.”

 “Thank you,” the Doctor said sincerely. “May we go?”

 “Yes, of course. You deserve a good night’s sleep for everything you’ve done for us.”

 The Doctor stood, and tightened his hold on Sarah’s hand. “And you should get your arm looked at.” They turned to the door.

 “Oh, and Doctor?” Borusa called out.

 “Yes?” the Doctor asked as he turned again.

 Borusa gave a warm smile. “Nine out of ten.”

 The Doctor’s smile genuinely mirrored the other man’s. “Thank you.” With that, he and Sarah left the Chancellor’s office.

 “What was that about?” Sarah asked.

 “Borusa took to the older brother role, and part of that was teaching and testing us on things,” the Doctor explained. “You know, I think that might be the highest score I’ve gotten from him.”

 “Certainly well-deserved, if that’s the case.”

 They let go of each other’s hand a moment later. Both were quiet, from exhaustion and processing everything that had happened since the Doctor had left San Martino.

 They stopped at the Castellan’s office, to collect the Doctor’s things from when he had been arrested, then stepped outside the Citadel, and walked to the Royal Palace, which wasn’t too far for their legs to carry them.

 “I hope you don’t mind spending the night in my rooms?” the Doctor asked as he led her inside and towards a wing.

 “Why would I turn that down?” She smiled as he took her hand again after they crossed a threshold that had ‘Doctor’ labeled over a corridor. “How many rooms?” she asked.

 “Several. One bedroom, the rest are for other purposes.” The Doctor nudged her shoulder. “Perhaps I’ll give you a guided tour soon.”

 Sarah chuckled and leaned into him. They fell quiet again, until the Doctor unlocked the door to his bedroom and let Sarah in first.

 “Oh… very nice,” Sarah approved of the expectedly plush and spacious bedroom. The high king-sized bed topped with soft blankets and plush pillows looked extremely comfortable and tempting. There was a dark wood desk in front of the window. A large matching wardrobe and drawers stood in the corner, near a door that she assumed led to the bathroom. She let out a low whistle and nodded. “Fitting for a prince.”

 The Doctor didn’t respond to that remark, and went over to the drawers. He set his clothes from earlier on top of it. He asked, “Shower first, or are you too exhausted for that?”

 Sarah very nearly suggested they go to bed, the emotional and physical exertions of the day nearly overwhelming her now that a bed was in sight. “I think I can stay upright enough for a shower.”

 The Doctor turned and smiled softly at the woman. “We could do a bath, if your feet are too tired?”

 Sarah shook her head. “I don’t need to fall asleep in the bath.” The prince nodded, and went back rifling through the drawers. Then she realized, “Our things. They’re still in San Martino.”

 “I’ll send a message to Giuliano to have it all sent to us. Unless you’d rather we go back ourselves soon?”

 “No, that’s fine. You can have it sent to my place.”

 The Doctor turned to her again, this time with a tshirt and a pair of drawstring shorts in his hands. “This should work for you.”

 “Bit big, but that’s unavoidable,” Sarah remarked with a little grin.

 The shower didn’t take long at all, both too tired for it to be longer than a few minutes. Sarah dressed in the provided pyjamas, and boosted herself up onto the bed. The Doctor pulled on a pair of pyjama trousers, turned off the lights, and opened the window blinds to let the ambient nighttime light from outside filter in.

 Sarah felt the mood shift again, quiet and solemn. As normal, the two of them had made it through the danger and helped save people, but this time… this time, it hit too close to home. Their home had nearly fallen under control of Koschei and many lives had nearly been lost. Several had been. Gallifrey would certainly be reeling from everything that had happened for a while. Sarah didn’t want to even imagine what could’ve happened if they had failed.

 Sarah silently watched the Doctor’s silhouette in the window. He still had his back to her as he stared out for a long moment. Then she heard a deep sigh before he turned back to her.

 “Long day,” Sarah commented as the man approached her.

 The Doctor simply nodded once and stopped in front of Sarah.

 His silence had the effect of making more impactful what had happened. “I’m sorry, for Llewellyn and Cia-“

 The Doctor shook his head. “Not now,” he requested softly. “Please, not-“ his voice broke, and he went down to his knees.

 “Doctor?” Sarah asked in concern as the prince wrapped his arms around her middle and pressed his face into her abdomen. He didn’t answer verbally, instead squeezing her briefly. Sarah bent over to kiss the top of his head, and soothingly ran her fingers through his slightly-damp hair. The Doctor interlaced his fingers with the ones of Sarah’s free hand, and brought the back of her hand to his mouth.

 Sarah understood without needing to ask. Whatever else had happened, he still had her. He hadn’t lost the person he loved the most. They wouldn’t be separated, wouldn’t be punished.

 Sarah briefly wondered if they’d been given reprieve only because of the tragedy that had happened. She could only hope not, and turned her thoughts towards more positive things. Things like whatever Koschei had had in mind for Gallifrey, he wouldn’t be able to do any more.  

 The prince eventually lifted his head, his blue eyes almost seeming to shine as he looked up to the woman he loved. He slowly rose, and pressed his forehead to hers.

 They didn’t need to speak, both transmitting their love and reassurance to the other without words.

 And then, their exhaustion refused to be ignored any longer, and they settled under the soft blankets. Sarah turned her back to the Doctor, who pressed himself against her back and wrapped his arm around her waist.

 He nuzzled his nose against the shell of her ear before they fully relaxed into much-needed sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

 The Doctor groaned as he awoke to a knock on the door. He was set on ignoring it, and tightened his arm around Sarah’s waist and nuzzled his nose into her hair. Then whoever it was knocked again, and the Doctor reluctantly decided it would just be better to answer it.

 He carefully pulled away from the sleeping woman, planted a soft kiss to the side of her head, and scooted off the bed. He didn’t bother grabbing his robe to cover his bare torso.

 The prince interrupted the next round of knocking by opening the door. He didn’t really care if he looked annoyed. A servant shrank back a bit, and explained of the trolley beside him, “Breakfast.”

 The Doctor smiled, “Ah, thank you.” Then he narrowed his eyes at the way the servant tried to discreetly look past him into the room. “Anything else?”

 “No, my prince. I’m just… I’m glad you’re okay in these times.”

 The Doctor dismissed the servant with a nod, and wheeled the trolley inside.

 Sarah sat up, having been practically buried under the blanket. “What was that about?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

 “Breakfast.” The Doctor stopped at the desk and pulled the covering off.

 “Breakfast?” Sarah stretched her arms over her head. “Good, I’m famished.” She got out the bed and went over to the desk to see. “Smells great,” she commented as the aroma of coffee and meat hit her nose first.

 There were two pitchers, one of coffee and one of tea, the expected additions of milk and sugar, bacon, waffles, eggs, strawberries, and syrup. Sarah took the desk chair and filled her plate and poured her mug of tea. The Doctor got a share of food, and sat on the floor next to the chair, his back against the desk.

 “Comfortable down there?” Sarah asked.

 The Doctor nodded as he took a long sip of his coffee.

 Then Sarah noticed the man’s state of dress, or lack thereof. “Did you answer the door like that?” Then she chuckled at the memory of him sitting on her porch in a hospital gown. “Never mind.”

 The Doctor laughed lightly at the question.

 Sarah ate with gusto, having only just realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast yesterday. With everything on the trolley cooked to perfection, it wasn’t difficult to sate her appetite.

 With neither of them talking to focus on eating, Sarah’s thoughts inevitably went to yesterday. She sighed and said, “Koschei said some things to me.”

 The Doctor looked up to Sarah and swallowed the waffle piece in his mouth. “What kinds of things?”

 Sarah shrugged, and waited until she had eaten another strawberry. “Mostly about how he didn’t understand why you would risk everything you have to be with me. What was so special about me compared to him? That sort of thing.”

 “I see…” The Doctor chewed contemplatively. “Ambition and jealousy… I hope what he said didn’t instill any doubts into you?”

 Sarah shook her head with a reassuring smile. “It would take a lot to shake me up like that.”

 “Good.”

 “He also said that if the two of us had survived, maybe he would… keep us. When he took over, you on a leash at his side, and me… me there to make sure you behaved.” Sarah shuddered at the image in her mind.

 “Sounds like him, alright.”

 “What was he like?” Sarah asked after a minute. “When you knew him before.”

 The Doctor took a deep breath, then blew it out in a huff. “Well… he was intelligent, and you could say we had a bit of a friendly rivalry. Mischievous. He was always ambitious.” He sighed, “He wasn’t like he is… was now. But the signs were there.”

 The prince’s tone signaled that he didn’t want to talk more on it, and Sarah didn’t press to know more about their past relationship.

 The Doctor shook his head. “Me on a leash and you to keep me behaved? He’s quite arrogant to think we’d both completely behave.”

 Sarah grinned. “That’s what I thought, too.” She scooped another serving of scrambled eggs onto her plate, and giggled as a few bits fell down onto the Doctor’s head. “Oh dear…”

 The Doctor looked up. “What?”

 “Stay still. I’ve dropped egg in your hair.”

 The Doctor did stay still long enough for Sarah to pick a couple bits of egg from his hair, but he put his plate and mug down on the floor and got up at the muffled buzz from his phone under his clothes. Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head at his impatience.

 “Message from Alistair,” the Doctor informed. “Asking if I’m alright.”

 “Could we meet with them later today, to tell them what happened?”

 The Doctor agreed. “Where do you want to meet them tonight?”

 “I don’t know… my place, I guess? I don’t really feel like going out.”

 The prince nodded and typed in the reply.

 “I’ll have to get my phone back from the detention center,” Sarah then realized.

 They both looked to the door at the knock. Borusa’s voice called through, “Are you still here?”

 The Doctor tossed his robe over to Sarah before going to open the door.

 “Perhaps I should’ve asked if you were decent, first,” Borusa said with a raised brow. “Is that… egg in your hair?”

 The Doctor let him in and closed the door. Sarah finished tying the robe around her and sat back down to continue eating.

 “I was working on picking those out before you came in,” Sarah said with a teasing little grin.

 “How’s your arm?” the Doctor asked of the limb in question, which rested in a sling.

 “It’ll heal fully,” Borusa replied almost dismissively. “You two?”

 “We’re alright,” the Doctor answered.

 Borusa nodded. “I was hoping to catch you before you had a chance to disappear.”

 “I wouldn’t have left without telling you,” the Doctor replied.

 Borusa smirked, as though he didn’t quite believe the statement. Then he turned serious and melancholy. “There’s… there’s much for me to do.” He breathed deeply. “I did want to ask you something, Doctor.”

 “Ask away.” The younger prince took a strip of bacon from the trolley and ate it.

 “If I… if I had been killed, would you really have consented to becoming king?”

 The Doctor was quiet for several seconds, then stated, “Yes.”

 Sarah didn’t miss the small proud expression on the older prince’s face.

 “I don’t want it, but I wasn’t going to let Gallfrey fall into any chaos while I could help it,” the Doctor added. “As such, I don’t have to.” He smiled warmly. “I hope you rule a long time.”

 “So you never have to.”

 “And because you’ll make a great leader.”

 Sarah hid her smile at Borusa’s expression of surprise behind her tea mug. “You’ll be alright?” she asked.

 “Yes, I… thank you.” Borusa cleared his throat. “Can I expect you at the… the events to come?”

 The Doctor tapped the side of his nose in response. Borusa sighed, and accepted that as an answer.

 “As for the two of you, like I said yesterday, don’t draw attention to yourselves until I… I get to that.”

 “We understand if that’s not high on the list of priorities,” Sarah responded. “I’m just grateful you’re not going to punish us.”

 “I wouldn’t wish ill on either of you, even without… everything that’s happened.”

 Sarah slightly bowed her head to the soon-to-be king in appreciation.

 “I should get going. Lots to do,” Borusa said heavily. He turned to leave.

 “Borusa,” the Doctor called.

 “Yes?” the older man turned.

 “You have my support.”

 Borusa smiled and slightly bowed his head. Then he left the couple alone.

 Sarah pushed her plate away and poured herself another mug of tea. She craned her neck up to receive the kiss from the Doctor, tasting the coffee on his breath.

 When they pulled apart, Sarah thought for a long moment, her heart again feeling heavy from recent events. “Doctor, if you don’t mind… there’s someone I need to see today. With you, if you can.”


	21. Chapter 21

 Sarah smiled broadly as the door swung open to reveal her aunt. She had called the woman earlier to make sure she was home.

 “Hello, my dear. You sounded…” Lavinia’s voice trailed off as she froze mid-hug. “What happened?”

 Sarah remembered the small bruises on her jaw and bridge of her nose from the struggle with Koschei. She unconsciously pulled down the sleeve of her shirt to better cover the one on her wrist. “It’s… it’s a bit of a story.”

 Lavinia raised her eyebrows. “With everything else that’s happened over the past couple days…” There was no mistaking the sad tone in her voice. The period of mourning for the fallen king and prince had officially started the night before.

 Sarah pulled the older woman into a tight embrace, glad and relieved that Koschei’s evil planning and schemes hadn’t touched her.

 When they pulled apart, Lavinia asked, “Are you alright?”

 Sarah nodded. “Yeah, all things considered.” She cleared her throat. “I… There’s someone I want you to meet.” She held her hand out to the side, and the Doctor came into view to take it and smile to Lavinia. He pushed off his hood, then enthusiastically shook Lavinia’s hand.

 “Hello,” he greeted warmly. “Nice to meet you, the real you, finally.” At the woman’s wide eyes and shocked expression at the prince, he prompted, “May we come inside?”

 Lavinia nodded, and stepped aside to let the pair in, then closed the door. She bowed her head slightly.

 “No need for that,” the Doctor replied.

 Lavinia recovered from her surprise quickly. “Are you alright, my prince?”

 “As well as can be expected, thank you.”

 Lavinia glanced between the prince and her niece, her gaze dropping to their entwined hands. She focused on Sarah. “Is he the one you’ve…?”

 Sarah glanced up to the Doctor with a smile, then refocused on Lavinia. “Yes.”

 “Well, that certainly explains why you’d want to keep it secret.”

 “I am sorry about that-“ Sarah began.

 “No, no, I understand,” Lavinia assured. “I’m not upset about that, especially now that I know who it is.” She gestured for them to sit on the couch. When they had, and she settled on the armchair, she leaned forward and asked, “Why now? Because of… what’s happened?”

 “Partly,” Sarah answered. She glanced to the prince, who nodded his support, then continued, “We were keeping it secret from everyone we could, because we knew it wouldn’t exactly be… popular with the Lords. Never mind simply wanting to stay out of the public eye. We found out a little later after starting this that it was actually illegal.”

 “Illegal?” Lavinia echoed.

 “Yes,” the Doctor affirmed. “The punishment for the previous case of a Lord and Commoner couple we found was definitely… unpleasant.”

 “It didn’t discourage you, I see.” Lavinia stated.

 “Not for a bit.” Sarah saw the affection on Lavinia’s face at that statement. “In the… the recent events, the Lords discovered us. A few did. Ones who matter.”

 Lavinia leaned forward, worry now on her face. “They’re not going to punish you, are they?”

 “No,” the Doctor quickly assured. “I don’t foresee that happening anytime soon. The soon-to-be king has deemed it… acceptable, especially in the current circumstances.”

 “So, because certain Lords know, it only made sense to tell you now,” Sarah finished quietly.

 Lavinia nodded, and simply watched the body language of the couple for a moment.

 “I didn’t particularly like not telling you.”

 Lavinia scooted forward enough and reached out to take Sarah’s hands. “You were already taking a huge risk, simply being together like this. The less who knew, the better. I know that.” She hummed, then inquired, “Who else knows?”

 “A few other people we work with,” the Doctor replied. “And I hope you’ll be as discreet about it as they are.”

 “Of course. No need to draw attention to yourselves, whether the Lords are fine with it or not.” Lavinia fixed her gaze on the prince. “You’ll already have enough attention, especially now.”

 “Yes, unfortunately,” the Doctor sighed.

 After a quite moment, Lavinia inquired, “How did you meet?” as she let go of Sarah to settle back in the chair.

 Sarah and the Doctor grinned. Sarah started, “Remember that scientific conference you were invited to a couple years ago, but you were in America and couldn’t attend? Well, I went in your stead, and…”

 It felt as though a small weight had been lifted from Sarah’s chest at finally being able to tell Lavinia about the person who made her so happy and having her meet him for herself.

 ********

 “Before you ask, Alistair, I’m perfectly alright,” the Doctor said as Sarah let the Brigadier, Harry, Benton, and Yates in. "And don't worry, all this doesn't affect my work with you. You're still stuck with me, when I feel like it."

"I can think of worse to happen to me," Alistair said dryly.

 “Don’t tell me you were involved in all that, too, Sarah?” Benton asked first, vaguely gesturing to her face.

 “In fact, I was.”

 “Is there any trouble you don’t end up in with him?” Yates teased. “Should’ve guessed you’d be involved.”

 “Hey, some of that is the fault of you all,” Sarah shot back.

 “Is it, when you agree to help us?” Alistair smiled.

 “I think he’s got you there,” the Doctor chuckled.

 Everyone settled in the living room, and Alistair prompted, “So, what happened? I thought you’d said you were going on holiday.”

 “We did, and a rather nice one it was, too,” the Doctor said. “Pity it got cut short.”

 The soldiers glanced to each other at the prince’s flippant tone. They looked back to him when he said more seriously and quietly, “Pity a lot of things got cut short.”

 “You two are okay, right?” Harry asked softly.

 Sarah nodded. “We are.”

 “Anyone find out about you two?” Benton asked.

 “Yeah, but I think we’ll be alright on that front, too.”

 “So, what was it exactly that ended your holiday early?” asked Alistair.

 “A premonition,” the Doctor answered. “One that I took very seriously, and was too late to prevent.”

 “You knew what was going to happen?” Yates asked first.

 “Llewellyn’s assassination, yes. The night before. Everything after that, Koschei especially, was a surprise.”

 “Koschei?” Alistair repeated. “The same we’ve met before?”

 “The very same. But I doubt he’ll bother us again.”

 “Maybe you should start from the beginning?” Yates suggested.

 “A very good idea,” Harry agreed.

 “Alright, if you insist,” the Doctor said as lightly as he could manage, considering the subject.

 ********

 Sarah sleepily turned over as she felt the Doctor stir behind her. She blinked her eyes a few times, and noticed that he already looked wide awake.

 “Watching me sleep again?” she asked. She didn’t really have to ask, getting the feeling he hadn’t actually slept much at all. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d had nightmares, or been afraid to have nightmares. She remembered a flash of one of her own from last night involving Koschei, and quickly shoved it away from her current thoughts.

 The Doctor answered with a soft smile. He tenderly brushed back some hair back from over Sarah’s forehead to kiss the skin there. “I should get back to the palace this morning,” he said quietly as he pulled back.

 “Help out Borusa?”

 “Something like that.”

 Sarah smiled warmly, and leaned in to nuzzle her nose to the prince’s before drawing him in for a slow kiss.

 When they separated, the Doctor placed his hand on the woman’s shoulder, and trailed his finger down her arm. “But, before I do that…”

 Sarah couldn’t miss the desire in the Doctor’s eyes, and felt it rise in her as well. She went in for another kiss, more passionate this time. 


	22. Chapter 22

 Two days later, Sarah and Lavinia were sitting on the older woman’s couch, watching the live broadcast of King Llewellyn’s and Prince Ciaran’s funeral. Borusa’s coronation would happen an hour after.

 The Doctor was there, looking solemn and keeping quiet during the proceedings.

 Sarah was curious about something, and suddenly asked her aunt, “You don’t think this was a bad idea, do you?”

 Lavinia turned to Sarah. “What do you mean? Oh, you and him, you mean?”

 Sarah nodded, and lifted her mug of tea to her mouth.

 Lavinia watched the current speech for a moment before answering. “You would know better, but I can say that man adores you. I only met him for a couple of hours, but he absolutely adores you. The way he looks at you… Otherwise, you’ve considered the risks and all of that. You’ve also known him two-and-a-half years.”

 “About that, yeah.”

 Lavinia took a long sip of her tea. “I think you’d know if he was good for you or not by this point.”

 “Thanks.” Then Sarah inquired, “What do you think of him?”

 “Even without him being a prince of Gallifrey, he’s certainly interesting. Intelligent, spirited, eccentric are a few words I’d use to describe him.”

 “Words I can agree with,” Sarah approved.

 They continued watching the broadcast for another few minutes before Lavinia asked, “This won’t affect you two? He’s now the only prince for several years, until Borusa can choose his own heirs, if I have that right?”

 “I think our lives will only change if something happens to Borusa. For now, we’re going to believe that nothing will. The Doctor is still allowed to do what he wants.” Sarah chuckled lightly, “Which includes me.”

 “I didn’t have to meet him for long to know that he is good to you, which is all I ask from him.”

 Sarah nodded her acknowledgement, and leaned sideways against her aunt. They were mostly quiet as they continued watching.

 ********

 A few days after the funeral and coronation, Sarah received a message from the Doctor. ‘You’ve been royally summoned.’ He then asked if she could meet him close to the Lord sector in an hour.

 “Royal summoning, is it?” Sarah muttered as she sent back an affirmation. “That’s a new experience.”

 An hour later, Sarah stood up from the bench where she was waiting when she saw the Doctor approach. She smiled, and asked, “Something important, is it?”

 “Perhaps. He asked if he could speak with you.” The Doctor added, “I doubt it’s anything negative. I like to think I would know if he did have such intentions.”

 “How is he?” Sarah asked as they started to walk.

 “Well. As well as can be expected, at any rate.”

 “Be nice,” Sarah teased.

 “Seriously, he is rising to the occasion.”

 “He seems to be, from an outside perspective.” Sarah hummed in thought. “I am a bit surprised he’s making the time to talk to me, of all people, right now. Certainly he’s very busy.”

 “Don’t sell yourself short.”

 “I’m not. To catch the attention of a mere prince is one thing,” Sarah responded with a teasing grin. “To talk to a king in what sounds like will be a casual conversation is another.”

 “You caught his attention when you helped save Gallifrey,” the Doctor pointed out.

 “Oh, yes… How could I forget that? Slipped my mind completely.”

 “And while I requested our parts be played down, personally, he would want to officially commend us.”

 “That would be something, wouldn’t it,” Sarah nodded. “But, no, isn’t really our style.”

 “Indeed,” the Doctor agreed.

 They walked in companionable quiet to the sprawling tall-hedged palace gardens, where they found Borusa sitting on a bench near the entrance, simply sitting with his eyes closed and enjoying the air.

 Borusa turned to them and opened his eyes at their approaching footsteps. “Thank you for coming, Miss Smith,” he greeted.

 “It would hardly be polite to refuse,” Sarah responded, bowing her head.

 “I hope you didn’t only come because of my position.”

 Sarah recognized it as an attempt at a joke, and shook her head with a smile.

 Borusa stood, and requested, “Walk with me?”

 The Doctor and Sarah took position on either side of the king, and accompanied him through the grounds. After a moment, Borusa said, “To address the subject of your relationship, I will quietly amend that law. Even without your part in preventing Gallifrey from falling into ruin under a madman, it is… unjust and unnecessary in these times. Still, I think it would be better to do this quietly.”

 “You’ll hear no objection from us,” the Doctor replied.

 Borusa half-smiled. “I figured as much. No need to draw attention to you both.”

 “Thanks for that,” Sarah said.

 “I know a certain prince would be quite upset with me if I betrayed his privacy,” Borusa said with a small wry grin.

 “And you’d be right to fear his wrath if you did,” the Doctor responded in a light tone.

 “I’m sure he can be a right terror,” Sarah chuckled.

 Borusa cleared his throat. “It will take a little while to get to. Just don’t announce any wedding plans, would you?”

 The Doctor and Sarah looked around the king to grin at each other, before the prince said, “We can manage that.”

 “Rassilon help me,” Borusa muttered. Then he stopped walking and said to Sarah, “There’s something I wish to say to you, alone.”

 The Doctor didn’t catch the hint, and tilted his head. “We are alone.”

 Borusa let out an exasperated breath. “With Miss Smith, alone.”

 “Oh, I see.” The Doctor nodded to Borusa, and flashed an assuring smile to Sarah, in case she was nervous to be alone with him. He pulled out his yellow yo-yo from his pocket. “I can entertain myself.” He started to walk back the way they had come, playing with his toy.

 Borusa and Sarah watched the Doctor until he turned a corner. Then Borusa gestured for them to keep walking.

 “He tells me you’re a journalist,” Borusa stated.

 “Yes.”

 “I hope I can trust none of this will see print?”

 “Of course.”

 Borusa nodded his acknowledgment. “You are good for him. I know I haven’t seen much of you, but that much is clear. You genuinely love him for who he is. You’re good for Gallifrey, too.”

 Sarah blushed slightly. “Thank you.”

 Borusa exhaled slowly. “Llewellyn… Llewellyn always saw greatness in the Doctor. He wouldn’t have chosen him as a prince if he hadn’t. A different type of greatness from Ciaran and me, but a greatness nonetheless.”

 Sarah recognized that the king was opening up to her, and gently pressed, “Do you see greatness?”

 Borusa was quiet for several seconds. “He does make that rather difficult, at times.”

 “You’re not the only one to say that about him,” Sarah said, remembering the numerous times of frustrations the Brigadier had voiced about the prince.

 “But there is no denying that he does have greatness, despite his general behavior and attitude.”

 Sarah nodded.

 “I never understood why Llewellyn stuck by his choice of him, and he never answered me when I asked. The Doctor is really the opposite of what a member of royalty is supposed to be. And yet…” Borusa smiled warmly. “I’m glad the responsibility of Gallifrey did not have to fall to him. He would’ve hated it.”

 “Can’t argue with that.”

 “He still would have done it, if needed. And any doubts from me about how good he is for Gallifrey were completely dispelled by what he was willing to risk, willing to do, to save it.”

 “You sound proud of him. Have you told him any of this?”

 “I hope I’ve made that clear enough to him, without so many words.”

 Sarah nodded in understanding.

 “His place isn’t here, despite his title and position.” Borusa paused for a deep breath, and stopped walking to directly face the woman. “Look after him, would you?”

 Sarah saw a small mask drop, and Borusa appeared as only a concerned older brother, instead of a new king. A proud and concerned older brother, who had no doubt the woman the Doctor had chosen to be with was good for him. She nodded and said, “As much as he looks after me.”

 “Thank you.” Borusa took Sarah’s hands between his. He surprised her further by bowing his head to her. When he raised his head, he said fondly, “How can I have doubts with the saviors of Gallifrey?”

 Sarah smiled in return.

 “If there is anything you need or want from me, let me know.” Borusa let go, and prompted, “Shall we return to him?”

 They found the Doctor a few minutes later, still playing with his yo-yo. “Am I wanted again?” he asked in greeting.

 “Always,” Sarah laughed.

 “Thank you both for speaking with me. You may linger or leave, if you wish.”

 Sarah took the Doctor’s hand. “I think we can stick around and enjoy the gardens a bit more.”

 “Then I shall take my leave.” Borusa graciously left them.

 “So, did he have anything interesting to say to you?” the Doctor asked when he was sure Borusa was out of earshot.

 “I think he meant to keep it between us,” Sarah replied.

 The Doctor pouted. “That would make sense, I suppose.”

 Sarah relented a little with a grin. “I will say he did give us his blessing.”

 The Doctor’s mouth split into a broad smile, and held Sarah around the waist to pull her into a deep kiss.

 ********

 The last boxes had been brought in and placed in the correct room, pizza had been eaten, and their friends had left them. Sarah leaned back against the kitchen counter, a beer in hand.

 She glanced around what she could see of the new house, smiling as the Doctor stalked over to her. “Definitely better suited for two than my old place,” she remarked.

 “It had its own charm,” the Doctor replied. “But you’re right.” Without warning, he picked Sarah up and set her on the countertop.

 Sarah squeaked and put her bottle down. “You could warn a girl, you know.”

 “I could,” the Doctor shrugged. Then he leaned closely in.

 Sarah stared straight into those blue eyes, and asked, “You’re happy?”

 “Happy? I can still do whatever I like. I can still be with you. I am with you. What reason would I have to not be happy?” The prince tilted his head. “You?”

 “Exactly how I feel.” Sarah grabbed his upper arms to pull him in closer and down. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug. She melted into his returning embrace, and buried her face into the side of his neck. She nuzzled it with her nose at the whispered, “I love you,” in both her ear and her mind.

 The law forbidding their relationship had been quietly overturned without making them known. They were still discreet in public, still keeping themselves secret. But that didn’t matter to either of them. They could still make a life together.

 Almost three years ago, Sarah would never have believed this, believed what her life would become. Sharing life and adventures with an eccentric Lord and prince of Gallifrey.

 “I love you,” she responded in kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who've read and commented and supported this story! :D


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